CNN analyst Chris Cillizza posts, deletes tweet showing Trump in crosshairs
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The GIF used in commentator Chris Cillizza's tweet. (Twitter)
A political analyst with CNN came under fire Tuesday after tweeting out a graphic depicting President Trump in crosshairs.
The commentator, Chris Cillizza, tweeted out a GIF with the visual just before 9 a.m., along with the caption “Donald Trump, pointing to heavens to commemorate police officers killed in the line of duty.”
He quickly deleted the tweet -- but not before Twitter users were able to grab some screenshots.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The commentator, Chris Cillizza, tweeted out a GIF with the visual just before 9 a.m., along with the caption “Donald Trump, pointing to heavens to commemorate police officers killed in the line of duty.” (Twitter)
Cillizza explained later that the image was unintentional, the result of a default setting in a program he'd used to generate the graphic.
CNN said the following in a statement to Fox News: “Chris has already addressed this issue publicly. The image in question is a framing mark used in film and video production to frame a shot. Nothing more. A producer who created the motion graphic inadvertently left that frame in the GIF. When it came to our attention, the tweet containing the GIF was deleted and replaced with explanation. There is nothing more to say.”
The since-deleted tweet was in reference to Trump having spoken at the annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service in Washington on Tuesday.