A live interview on CNN took an uncomfortable turn Friday when anchor Jake Tapper challenged a Minnesota bookstore owner for insisting that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were using “concentration camps” to house detainees.
The moment unfolded during a segment on Tapper’s show, “The Lead,” featuring a co-owner of Moon Palace Books, an independent bookstore in Minneapolis, participating in a one-day economic “blackout” aimed at protesting ICE. Co-owner Jamie Schwesnedl appeared on the show to explain why he and his wife decided to close their store in solidarity with other businesses. But things quickly got off to a rocky start.
“We can’t do business as usual right now anyway,” Schwesnedl told Tapper. “Our city has been invaded by masked gunmen kidnapping family members, friends, and neighbors of ours to send them to concentration camps.”
Tapper, who is Jewish, quickly pushed back on the language.
“Just one note,” the longtime CNN anchor said. “I’m not here to defend ICE, but I’m not a big fan of people using the term ‘concentration camp’ to describe detention camps. That has a very specific meaning…”
Schwesnedl shrugged and cut in as he insisted the comparison was appropriate.
“I understand that,” he said. “But they take people to Fort Snelling, which literally was built as a concentration camp, and ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ which I think we can all agree is a concentration camp.”
He clarified, “I’m not saying they’re Dachau. I’m not saying they’re putting people in ovens, yet. But these are concentration camps.”
Tapper appeared eager to move on. “Okay,” he said, waving his hand in apparent exhaustion.
“I don’t need to argue with you about it,” Schwesnedl said as they both pivoted around the sensitive and awkward live television moment.
“That’s fine,” Tapper said as he continued the interview to its conclusion without any further mention of the on-air dust-up.
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