CNN’s Elle Reeve confronted a college Republican about anti-trans speaker Michael Knowles just seconds before an “incendiary device” went off yards away, interrupting them.

Knowles has sparked protests due to his sharply anti-transgender rhetoric, including explicitly calling for the “eradication” of what he calls “transgenderism.”

On Friday’s edition of CNN News Central, Reeve joined anchor John Ber,am to share a deeply-reported piece that included interviews with tans activists like Charlotte Clymer, and an intense confrontation with Pitt College Republicans VP Josh Minsky that was interrupted by a loud BOOM!:

REEVE (voiceover): More than 11,000 people signed an online petition against Knowles and two other conservative speakers invited to Pitt. The school went forward with the events saying it upholds the principles of protective speech and expression. Though that speech can contradict the school’s values. Knowles had been scheduled to debate Professor Deirdre McCloskey, who is trans. But McCloskey pulled out the week before, telling CNN that Knowles was not a serious person. Then ISI, the sponsor, offered trans writer Charlotte Clymer $10,000 to sub in. She said no.

REEVE (on camera): $10,000 is a lot.

CHARLOTTE CLYMER, WRITER AND ACTIVIST: Oh, yes. $10,000 is a lot of money. That would have paid off my car. That’s half a year of rent.

REEVE: Have you ever been offered that much?

CLYMER: No, not even close.

REEVE: What does that some — say to you?

CLYMER: It says they’re willing to pay anything to grow their entertainment enterprise. I don’t know why trans folks are expected to accept the premise that our humanity is up for debate. If it were a debate on whether or not to allow racial segregation back into society, we wouldn’t have a debate about that. That would be unacceptable.

REEVE (voiceover): Finally, gay libertarian podcaster Brad Polumbo agreed to debate Knowles.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Polumbo, it’s awesome that you could come here on such short notice. How much were they paying you to do this?

BRAD POLUMBO, GAY LIBERTARIAN PODCASTER: A lot.

REEVE (voiceover): Knowles, through spokeswoman, declined an interview with CNN. And despite the emphasis on free speech, ISI demanded media not film more than the debate’s opening remarks. But once the event got going, no one ushered the media out.

JOSH MINSKY, VICE PRESIDENT, COLLEGE REPUBLICANS AT PITT: Michael Knowles is a big speaker. He should be able to speak and have freedom of speech and sadly that’s, kind of, being shut down in modern society as can you see outside.

REEVE (on camera): But would you have a panel where someone spoke about whether or not there should be legal murder?

MINSKY: No, because —

REEVE: So —

MINSKY: — murder is objectively wrong and you’re killing someone. But I would not put that on the same spectrum.

REEVE: What was that?

MINSKY: As I said about shutting down free speech, I think this is very good example of the fact that clearly something is going on here.

REEVE (voiceover): That boom was an incendiary device set off outside the building according to a university statement. No one was injured but some buildings were temporarily shut down.

REEVE (on camera): Do you think the point of this debate is to try to convince people in this room or to convince people on the internet?

MINSKY: I think it’s both. I mean, look, all of the event is not to make some uneducated leftist kid, you know, feel like an idiot. So, I hope there’s leftist people here that ask questions opposing Knowles and are able to do so respectfully.

REEVE: So, the protesters burned Michael Knowles an effigy which is protected speech.

CLYMER: It is — I wonder that though.

REEVE: Why not?

CLYMER: It’s too violent, it’s too aggressive, in fact it’s counterproductive. Because what they do is they take an image of that, they spread it online, and they say, see. This is what the movement is trying to do. They are going to burn anyone an effigy who disagrees with them.

Watch above via CNN News Central.

The post Stunning Moment ‘Incendiary Device’ Goes Off As CNN’s Elle Reeve Confronts GOP Student Over Anti-Trans Speaker first appeared on Mediaite.

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