(AP Photo/Ron Harris)

Don’t think trying to pour water on his controversy is why they described journalists as ‘firefighters’.

Billionaire Democratic party-crasher Michael Bloomberg is having a tough time at the moment grappling with the news cycle surrounding his former stop-and-frisk policy that he instituted with the New York Police Department when he was acting mayor. A recording has come out with the Mayor speaking in blunt terms regarding his policy, and those it will affect. This story touches on that third rail issue with liberals — racism — and Bloomberg is struggling to extricate himself from the controversy.

Fortunately for him, CNN is on the case.

Now in saying that do not assume it was meant that the network is investigating the particulars. No, the network is actually doing what it can to help spin the story and have it dissipate into the ether, freeing Bloomberg of a thorny problem. The Apple Network brought on their business and political correspondent Cristina Alesci to help clarify what they deemed were the pertinent details behind the video.

Alesci focused on the independent journalist who posted the audio of Bloomberg’s comments, Benjamin Dixon, and claimed his support of Bernie Sanders was somehow pertinent to the matter.

In a VILE display of defending @MikeBloomberg's racism, @cnn responds to audio unearthed by @BenjaminPDixon that shows Bloomberg saying you stop crime by frisking minorities by…

Attacking Dixon as a Bernie supporter, questioning how he got the audio—and what his motives are. pic.twitter.com/nBkBbPU6Kr

— Jordan (@JordanChariton) February 11, 2020

Looking beyond the weak-as-herbal-tea deflection of Dixon being a ‘’Bernie supporter’’ there is the curiosity of a journalist saying, ‘’We don’t know how he got the sound…’’ What does that have to do with the accuracy of the tape or the words spoken by Bloomberg? Should not a reporter be busy with finding out these details, and investigating the accuracy of the content?

Dixon was not backing down, nor should he, and he responded to the segment.

Writing about Bloomberg tomorrow. And whereas I should be able to focus only on his words, @CNN has become a major player in the conversation by engaging in something not remotely journalism but, instead, criticizing what I and so many independent journalists do: basic research

— Benjamin Dixon (@BenjaminPDixon) February 12, 2020

It goes far to explain what is at play here in that Alesci did absolutely no investigating into the provenance of the tape. If so she would have found out that this audio has actually been available on YouTube for years. Bloomberg had some outlets blocked from running the footage, so it was uploaded and available from a local New York reporter. For Aleasci to suggest that a nefarious cabal was behind this is pathetic.

But there is also some hilarity to be found. When Alesci, whose bio states she is interested in ‘’unraveling complex connections, conflicts of interest and government ethics’’, is defending Bloomberg here it is a result of her own ‘’complex connections’’. She is a former reporter for — Bloomberg News. Now today she is on CNN, defending her former employer.

Didn’t know you were a surrogate for @MikeBloomberg. I wonder if @CNN should know? Or if they even care https://t.co/jLTSorvdpu

— 🌹 Jim 🌹 (@jimfromgr) February 11, 2020

This gives us a network working to prop up a candidate who is favored by the DNC, helped by a ”reporter” running defense for a man she previously worked for, and we are supposed to call this ”journalism”.