After initially putting out a tortured statement online, CNN's Abby Phillip issued an on-air apology on Wednesday evening for falsely claiming that an Islamist attack in New York City was targeting Mayor Zohran Mamdani. In reality, the two men who attempted to set off explosive devices were trying to kill anti-Islamist protesters who were picketing outside of Gracie Mansion. That detail was known immediately after the incident.
See: CNN Host's Tortured Explanation for Getting the NYC Bombing Target Wrong
That didn't stop "the most trusted name in news" from repeatedly misleading audiences about what transpired. Not only did Phillip make the false claim about Mamdani being targeted, but so did CNN's official account, multiple guests on her show, and one of its senior reporters. We are supposed to believe all of that narrative-pushing was simply a long string of "mistakes." Yeah, I don't buy it, and neither should you.
I want to correct something I said last night. The bombs thrown in New York City over the weekend by ISIS inspired attackers was thrown into a crowd of anti-Muslim protestors and not specifically targeted at Mayor Mamdani. That wording was inaccurate and I didn’t catch it ahead…
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) March 11, 2026
Edward is a “senior CNN reporter.”
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) March 11, 2026
They’re just going to keep lying about this. pic.twitter.com/hWdkpYz3kt
Notice that in Phillip's online correction, she used the term "specifically," which is meant to still insinuate that Mamdani was possibly targeted. He wasn't. He wasn't even home, and at no point was any device directed at the gubernatorial residence. So was her on-air apology any better?
WATCH: @abbydphillip issues an on-air correction, complementary of the one published this morning on X, for stating the Gracie Mansion bombers targeted Mayor Mandani. We seldom see on-air corrections for on-air botches but here it is. The right thing. On A-block.
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) March 12, 2026
ABBY PHILLIP:… pic.twitter.com/u4Cxurrv5g
PHILLIP: This morning I issued a correction, first thing in the morning, on X for a mistake that I made in last night's show, but I also wanted to do so on air as well. I incorrectly said that the bombs that were thrown by ISIS-inspired suspects in New York over the weekend were directed at Mayor Mamdani. They were not. I failed to catch and correct that mistake in real time, and I take full responsibility for that. And while we do make mistakes, it is important to acknowledge and correct those errors when they happen.
Well, I guess she gets points for more directly stating that Mamdani was not the target. Notice what she doesn't say, though. Who was the target? If you listen to Phillip and her colleagues, you still don't know because they continue to purposely obfuscate that point. Why? Because admitting the anti-Islamist protesters were nearly blown up by Islamists would be a narrative-breaker for CNN. It would lend credibility to the cause of the protesters, and they can't have that.
Let me also suggest that this series of corrections would have never happened were CNN not under new leadership and in the middle of being acquired by Paramount. It's clear that this newfound respect for the truth was pushed by the legal side of the network and is part of an ongoing attempt to soften its left-wing bias. Will that work? Let's just say I have my doubts. The last time CNN underwent a "transformation," it ended with Brian Stelter being re-hired and its CEO being repeatedly humiliated by its left-wing "talent." Unless Paramount starts actually firing some people, they'll end up with the same problem on their hands.
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