[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]
CNN's Chris Cuomo sparred with Senator Bernie Sanders on the 15 May 2014 edition of New Day over the left-wing politician's scheduled hearing with Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinsecki regarding the V.A. hospitals scandal, where scores of veterans died as they waited for care. Cuomo pointed out that "the mandate for Shinseki when he was put in...was that we knew there were big lapses at the V.A....and you could argue they have not been. Isn't it time for accountability?"
When Sanders tried to shift the issue to a critique of CNN's coverage of the scandal, the anchor shot back at the Vermont senator for sounding like an apologist for the government-run health care system:
CHRIS CUOMO: Is it unfair criticism, Senator, to see that – you sound like a lawyer defending the hospital, as opposed to a senator trying to make sure the right thing is done....it gets a little bit of a bad feeling here about what the motivation is for these hearings: whether it's to defend the V.A., or to do the hard truth of accountability and make change.