CNN has fired commentator Jeffrey Lord, the network's most vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, after he tweeted "Sieg Heil" at Angelo Carusone of Media Matters for America.
Lord has previously called the group "Media Matters Fascists."
"Nazi salutes are indefensible," a CNN spokesperson told the Washington Free Beacon. "Jeffrey Lord is no longer with the network."
Lord later spoke on the phone with CNN's Brian Stelter and said that CNN's actions amount to "caving."
"I love CNN," Lord said. "I feel they are caving to bullies here."
Before Lord was fired, Carusone responded to Lord's tweet by a counter-accusation of fascism, mocking Lord for not "trying to hide anything anymore." Lord said he would continue mocking Nazis and Fascists.
Nice try! I will happy to mock Nazis and fascists any day. And since you lead Media Matters Fascists I understand why you hate it.
— Jeffrey Lord (@realJeffreyLord) August 10, 2017
However, CNN announced through Stelter's article that Lord was being dropped as a commentator. Its justification was the "Sieg Heil" tweet, and it did not comment on its apparent mocking intent. It is unclear whether CNN interpreted the remark as approving of Nazism.
Lord and Caursone have feuded in the past. Media Matters has called for Lord's firing many times, and accused him of lying, while Lord has lambasted Carusone for his ties to left-wing billionaire George Soros.
The two fought this week over Media Matters' past funding from Soros, which amounted to only one donation, according to Carusone.
You and your pals lie. You claim we're basically being bankrolled by a single donor. It's just demonstrably false. Won't stop you though.
— Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) August 9, 2017