On Thursday's New Day on CNN, as Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bennet appeared as a guest to discuss his debate performance, co-host John Berman misleadingly claimed that President Donald Trump had "falsely" claimed that he ended family separations at the border.
But, in fact, the zero-tolerance policy from last year that prosecuted all migrants who entered the country illegally was, in fact, rescinded last year after six weeks as the Trump administration returned to the Barack Obama policy of only separating a smaller portion of families for more limited circumstances.
The discussion came after the network played a clip of Bennet going after President Trump over the issue of illegal immigrant children being put in cage-like structures. From Wednesday's CNN debate, Bennet was seen cracking: "For the last three years, we've been consumed by a President who frankly doesn't give a damn about your kids or mine. Mr. President, kids belong in classrooms, not cages."
Instead of pointing out that past administrations, including that of President Obama, similarly held illegal immigrant children in cage-like structures until they could be transferred into HHS custody, co-host Berman accused President Trump of "falsely" claiming the separation policy had ended.
Berman asserted: "A short time later, President Trump appeared to respond, falsely claiming that the policy of child separation has ended."
But, as recently as yesterday, even MSNBC has admitted that there is substantial evidence that Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan as telling the truth when he stated that the current policy matches that used during the Obama administration.
On Wednesday afternoon, MSNBC's Julia Ainsley recounted that the number of children separated over the past year has been about 900 -- or only about half of a percent -- in contrast with the thousands who were separated in just six weeks of zero tolerance more than a year ago.
Trump's tweet did misleadingly suggest that he had ended the types of family separations that occurred under Obama when McAleenan, by contrast, claims the policies are currently identical, but, instead of clarifying for viewers w hat the truth actually is, Berman gave the impression that the Trump administration had not even ended the policy of greater separations from last year.
The CNN host turned to Bennet and began by posing: "That statement you made combined with many of the other things you said last night seem to indicate you wish more of the focus in this discussion right now was on President Trump."
He soon followed up: "So was there too much of the circular firing squad last night, you know, Democrat-on-Democrat fighting?"