CNN anchor defends NPR as 'journalism' after GOP lawmaker accuses outlet of spreading 'left-wing values'

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, and CNN big Pamela Brown got into a heated speech implicit the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk's inquiries into authorities spending connected Thursday. 

"What specifically is Elon Musk is really doing wrong the national authorities close present with his tech staffers successful the sanction of DOGE?," Brown started disconnected the speech by asking the GOP lawmaker. 

Gill responded by pointing retired that the enactment DOGE is doing, astatine the behest of President Donald Trump, was mandated by the American radical erstwhile a bulk voted for him successful the 2024 election. 

DOGE TARGETS MEDICARE AGENCY, LOOKING FOR FRAUD

Freshman GOP Rep. Brandon Gill was sworn into Congress successful January arsenic the youngest subordinate of the House GOP conference, and besides serves connected the House Oversight Committee. (Getty Images)

"Well, the American radical delivered President Trump a precise wide mandate to basal retired waste, fraud and maltreatment successful the national government. And, you know, fto maine archer you, we person been talking astir bringing Elon Musk successful for months and months and months now. I deliberation my colleagues connected the different broadside of the aisle similar to enactment arsenic if this is thing novel, arsenic if this is thing that‘s unexpected. This is portion of the Trump mandate. Getting escaped of wasteful spending," helium said. 

Back successful November, Trump said that Musk, done DOGE, volition enactment to "dismantle authorities bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, chopped wasteful expenditures, and restructure national agencies."

The CNN anchor continued to property Gill connected the specifics of what Musk and his staffers are moving on, portion besides questioning what authorities systems they person entree to and what they program connected doing with the confidential information they are collecting.

"Elon Musk and his squad are not acting arsenic extracurricular advisors. They are acting arsenic employees of the applicable national agencies. They person information clearances. They‘re complying with applicable national laws," helium responded. "So they’re doing this wholly supra board."

AFTER DOGE CRACKDOWN ON USAID, TRUMP'S HOUSE ALLIES WANT THIS CABINET AGENCY ON CHOPPING BLOCK

Elon Musk was nominated by President Donald Trump to pb the Department of Government Efficiency successful November. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

He besides pointed to immoderate illustration of spending that helium considers wasteful that DOGE has uncovered .

"You saw a large illustration of this with what Elon Musk has been doing with USAID, for instance. He uncovered that we person been sending millions of dollars for transgender activism successful South America, millions of dollars for DEI scholarships successful Burma. These are things that the American radical mostly didn‘t cognize astir until now, and we’re going aft them," Gill said.

Brown past moved onto a antithetic interest she had. House Republicans blocking a subpoena against Musk connected Wednesday.

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Gill labeled the subpoena "political theatrics," and questioned wherefore Democrats didn't invitation Musk to the Oversight Committee's proceeding yesterday.

"They could person invited Elon Musk. Then, erstwhile the committee began, they demanded that president Comer invitation Elon Musk whenever they could person done it to statesman with. And past they began this partisan governmental crippled of trying to subpoena Elon Musk. This is axenic theatrics. Democrats tin play governmental games, but Republicans are focused connected rooting retired waste, fraud and maltreatment from our national authorities and doing existent substantive enactment to prevention American payer dollars," Gill said.

House Oversight and Accountability committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., called retired Democrats for not inviting Elon Musk to attest earlier the Oversight Committee's proceeding connected Wednesday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Gill besides claimed that the national authorities is spending "over $500 cardinal each azygous twelvemonth to money state-sponsored media similar NPR and PBS to beforehand left-wing values that are utterly antithetical to the American experience."

"It's journalism," the CNN big quipped back, adding, "we tin hold to disagree connected that. I don’t privation to get into a tit-for-tat connected that."

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Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.