Amid backlash over his friendly interview with Jackson Hinkle, NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo defended hosting the far-right conspiracy theorist and denied giving “any deference to any kind of anti-semitism.” During last week’s broadcast of his podcast The Chris Cuomo Project, the former CNN star welcomed Hinkle, a pro-Kremlin “MAGA communist” who recently pivoted to anti-Israel content during the Israel-Hamas war. While experts have noted that Hinkle’s support of Palestine is a cynical ploy to drum up social media clout while peddling thinly disguised antisemitism, Cuomo dismissed any notion that Hinkle was a “Nazi” or a “hater” while introducing the alt-right influencer. “He’s young, he’s relevant, he’s got a lot to say about politics at home and abroad. Let’s get after it,” Cuomo stated, adding: “It’s nice to talk to somebody who’s at the head of the next generation of a lot of social media and political thought in the country.” Throughout the hour-plus interview, Cuomo didn’t press Hinkle on his antisemitic conspiracies or Gaza war disinformation, sparking outrageonline and prompting Mediaite to reach out for comment. “It is clearly untrue that I have ever, or would ever, give any deference to any kind of anti-semitism. This is another cheap hit piece. I get that some in the media want to say what can and can not be said,” a defiant Cuomo responded. “People can make quick work of why Hinkle has such a robust following, and how they feel about his ideas. Mediaite can try to frame me as an apologist for a bigot…but that is about their toxic agenda, not the truth.”
