New Hampshire Gov Sununu defends free speech, blasts Dems for self-destruction in CNN interview

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Media top headlines January 28

In media news today, ‘The View’ assails Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett as traitors to their race and gender, Symone Sanders takes a swipe at an NBC colleague over a book on Biden’s campaign promises, and ‘SNL’ rolls back satirizing Biden’s first year in office.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu joined CNN’s "State of the Union" Sunday to reiterate America’s need for bipartisanship.

The Republican was pressed by host Dana Bash on how the spreading of COVID misinformation could be costing constituent lives, but Sununu argued that the only byproduct is "massive confusion."

"We try to clarify in New Hampshire," he said. "Be super transparent. That earns public trust and I think that’s why New Hampshire has had a fairly high vaccination rate even without mandates."

As streaming platform Spotify takes a hit for airing Joe Rogan’s podcast under the accusation of spreading misinformation, Sununu denounced the possibility of censorship and, instead, backed the First Amendment.

"It’s free speech," he asserted. "People have a right to their voice and a right to their opinion."

Sununu has upheld his reputation of critiquing both sides of the political aisle – this ultimately leading him to decline his bid for Senate back in November:

"My responsibility is not to the gridlock and politics of Washington, it’s to the citizens of New Hampshire. And I’d rather push myself 120 miles per hour delivering wins for New Hampshire than to slow down and end up on Capitol Hill debating partisan politics without results," Sununu said at a news conference at the governor's mansion in Concord, New Hampshire's capital city. 

Chris Sununu, governor of New Hampshire, gestures as he speaks during the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas, Friday, Nov. 5, 2021.  Photographer: Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The governor further underscored his point that the process for making changes in Washington is slow-moving, arguing that the American people had hoped moderate-candidate Joe Biden would break the pattern. Instead, under the Biden administration, he asserted, political isolation has set back the entire nation.

"If the Democrat Party spent as much time trying to reach across the aisle with a couple Republicans as they did beating up Sens. Sinema and Manchin, we would have got something done," he said. "But they spent all their time tearing apart their own party… And I think I’m expressing the same frustrations that, frankly, most Americans have."

Sununu tapped into the most recent divisive argument of appointing a new justice to the Supreme Court and said that no matter the nominee’s background, the country deserves a "civil, respectful" confirmation process.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announces he will run for reelection and not seek a seat in the U.S. Senate Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, in Concord, N.H. (Photo: Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

"That would be a nice breath of fresh air for America," he said. "And I think that’s what everyone hopes for."