CNN's Banfield Falsely Claims Trayvon Martin Eyewitness Told Her Attacker Was Hispanic

newsbusters.org ^ | 4/7/12 | Noel Sheppard

[ColdOne]

You'd think on the very day an NBC News producer was fired for editing George Zimmerman's 911 call to make it appear he was racist media members would be extra careful to be as factually accurate as possible when reporting on the Trayvon Martin shooting.

CNN's Ashleigh Banfield clearly didn't get this memo for while substitute-hosting on Anderson Cooper 360 Friday night, she twice falsely claimed that an eyewitness she had just interviewed said the person she believed was the attacker - meaning the one on top during the fight near her house - was Hispanic (video follows with transcript and commentary):

[clintonh8r]

Banfield is one of the biggest flame-outs in mediot history. She’s right down there with L’il Ricky Sanchez. Remember her famous “Starf***er” t-shirt?

[hoosiermama]

Newsbusters weighs in on Banfield interview.

[TsonicTsunami08]

Ashleigh Banfield, wasn't she the one hunting Jews with the PLO in the West Bank on live TV, admonishing the camera crew to move silently as not to alert anyone?

[al baby]

Ashly the whore of the middle east ?

[DaveyB]

It’s CNN it not like it’s the news!

[no dems]

We know that George Zimmerman’s mome is Hispanic. Isn’t his dad Jewish? Where is the outcry from the Jewish and Hispanic communities demanding that George Zimmerman be given Due Process?

[peeps36]

Wasn't this the woman who gave police one version of events and then gave the press a different version? I wouldn't expect Banfield to have enough integrity to ask her about that.

[Lmo56]

Remember her famous “Starf***er” t-shirt?

Enlighten me, please ...

[GeronL]

I remember Ashleigh when she was local here in Dallas-FW, she was one “blonde” newsreader if you know what I mean.

[pallis]

Truth is what furthers the cause, in leftist think, and the cause is to stir up as much racial violence and hate as possible to make it look like that is what America is all about. The leftist media believes in that cause.

[Misterioso]

Mediot?? Love it.

[cricket]

/am confused. . .Zimmeraman IS Hispanic or hyphenated American. . .no? Is this a ‘double-blind’ feedback or what?

[jjotto]

mmm...

I’ve never seen a reliable source that identifies Zimmerman’s father as Jewish. It’s all the rage on Jew-hate sites, and many assume Zimmerman ‘sounds Jewish’ so he must be.

Z’s father was apparently some traffic court magistrate in the Midwest, but I’ve seen him identified as a Florida Supreme Court Justice! Z’s father is also known to be a practicing Catholic.

[Irish Eyes]

She has ties... her father’s name escapes me at the moment. She is a huge dimwit, surprised that she is still around.

[TexasNative2000]

Yeah, but she LOOKS so smart in those non-prescription glasses...

[A_Former_Democrat]

Yeah I remember the self aggrandizing promo they did for her with a side view, like she’s really cool. I was laughing at the silliness of her grin she held for a few seconds as the promo ended. Laughable promo, laughable “Career”

[A_Former_Democrat]

executives at msnbc “also liked her frosted blond hair and trademark Clark Kent-style glasses.”

Marks for competence if there ever were ones

[TigersEye]

More fodder for Zimmerman’s lawsuit against NBC. I hope he ends up owning every network.

[Intolerant in NJ]

CNN's Ashleigh Banfield...who would expect ntelligent reporting from this bimbo - isn't she the one who promised Bill Clinton a blow job if he continued to speak out n favor of abortion???....

[Gil4]

"she twice falsely claimed that an eyewitness she had just interviewed said the person she believed was the attacker - meaning the one on top during the fight near her house - was Hispanic"

She's trying to claim Zimmermann was on top, not Martin, by lying about what an eyewitness told her.

[chris_bdba]

Would this be the so called eye witness that was on the phone and didn’t see anything? I ask because the 2 real eye witness have the same story that it was Martin on top beating Zimmermann.

[cricket]

She's trying to claim Zimmermann was on top, not Martin, by lying about what an eyewitness told her.

Oh, thanks; 'get it' - now that is.

(Poorly framed story or I read too fast (and do not have time to go back and check; but thanks again, for clarification!)

[RedMonqey]

BANFIELD: And when the gunfire went off, what happened to the larger man who you think might have been on the top? What happened at that moment? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I will just say a couple seconds later that larger man was walking closer to where I could see him.

Ya'll need to read her alleged statements. If Trayvon was the "larger man" on top, then why was the "larger man" walking towards her after the fight ended?

Hmmmmmmm....

[Mr. K]

Has anyone looked into the past history of St. Trayvon of the Skittles and Tea?

Is there anyone else he has attacked and beaten? He seems to have been experienced enough

I would have like to have seen the look on his face when he realized he was not picking on an unarmed man

I would bet money he told his G/F on the phone he was going to start some trouble too- he didn’t call her to tell her he was being followed and afraid... he does not seem like the afraid type

So,.. what did he tell her? I am bettign it was more like “i’m going to kick this dude’s ass” and bragging about how brave he was going to be