CNN pundit apologizes after sparking right-wing fury for blaming DC plane crash on Trump

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers apologized on Wednesday night after deleting a tweet that placed blame on President Donald Trump for the deadly midair crash over Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., claiming he “f***ed up” by citing the president’s federal hiring freeze as a potential reason for the horrific accident. While the president took to his social media platform to blame the helicopter pilots and the control tower for the crash, wondering why the helicopter simply “didn’t go up or down,” Sellers shared a January 22 press release from House Democrats condemning Trump’s inaugural day hiring freeze order. “Instead of working to improve aviation safety and lower costs for hardworking American families, the Administration is choosing to spread bogus DEI claims to justify this decision.” In his January 20 executive order, the president stated that “no Federal civilian position that is vacant” at the time he was sworn into office shall be filled, and the “freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding.” In a separate “fact sheet” sent out two days later, the White House said the president had signed “a Presidential Memorandum terminating a Biden Administration Federal Aviation Administration hiring policy that prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion over safety and efficiency.” It is unclear if the freeze prevents the FAA from hiring new air traffic controllers or if they fall under the executive order’s exemption for military personnel or positions related to national security and public safety. Alongside his Wednesday night post sharing the Democrats’ statement on “Trump’s dangerous freeze of air traffic control hiring,” Sellers wrote: “8 days ago.” It wasn’t long before he came under fire from the right.