Megyn Kelly took aim at “annoying” CNN anchor Abby Phillip for being “such an interrupter” while moderating a town hall with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday.
“Like shut the eff up. Let him make his point,” Kelly said during Thursday’s broadcast of her SiriusXM podcast “The Megyn Kelly Show.”
Kelly criticized Phillip for calling out Ramaswamy while he was claiming that federal law enforcement agents encouraged the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol.
Ramaswamy, the biotech mogul, said Jan. 6 was a case of “government entrapment” and that “we know there were federal law enforcement agents in that field” before Congress was overrun by supporters of then-President Donald Trump to prevent certification of former Vice President Joe Biden’s election victory.
Phillip pressed Ramaswamy on his use of the phrase “inside job” to describe the events of Jan. 6.
When Ramaswamy said “we know there were federal law enforcement agents in that field,” Phillip cut him off, saying: “There’s no evidence that there were federal agents in the crowd on Jan. 6.”
Megyn Kelly criticized CNN moderator Abby Phillip (right) for interrupting GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during a town hall on Wednesday.
Ramaswamy replied that “multiple informants” suggested that some in the crowd were “FBI informants.”
Phillip, the network’s former senior political correspondent and host of the 10 p.m. show “CNN NewsNight,” interjected and the two spoke over each other as she pushed the candidate to cite “evidence” that “the government had a plot … to foment violence on Jan. 6.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Ramaswamy told Phillip. “I’m going to put words in my mouth.”
Ramaswamy alleged that the government “suppressed” video footage showing people “shooting rubber bullets and tear gas into that crowd” before it stormed the Capitol.
Ramaswamy argued that there were federal government agents among the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters.
The candidate said that Capitol Police “rolled out the red carpet” for demonstrators to enter the building, prompting Phillip to speak up.
“The vast majority of that footage shows police officers being overrun by violent rioters,” Phillip said while Ramaswamy was also talking.
The exchange did not sit well with Kelly, who moderated the GOP presidential debate last week.
“If you want to fact-check him later, then [do it], shut up, though,” Kelly said during her show on Thursday.
“CNN has got an aversion to letting the words come out of the candidates’ mouths, and it’s really a disservice even if you don’t agree with what he’s saying.”
“Yeah, you invited him! Let him say it! Then do your fact check.”
Kelly accused Phillip of “trying to censor” Ramaswamy.
Phillip pressed Ramaswamy for evidence that the Jan. 6 riots were encouraged by federal informants. Getty Images for CNN“Why is she so averse to it? Like his words are so vile, they cannot be uttered. They can be uttered, Abby,” Kelly said.
“Let him finish. You invited him there. Let him make his damn point.”
The Post has sought comment from CNN and Phillip.
