Rep. Tim Burchett Takes On CNN’s Jim Acosta, Drops The Hammer When He Brings Up J6 Pardons

Any time a Congressman like Rep. Tim Burchett makes an appearance on CNN you can plan for fireworks.

Yesterday, the Tennessee Representative braved the firing line and sat in for a question or two from CNN’s Jim Acosta.

The fireworks did not disappoint, and Acosta — true to form — doubled down on a relentless onslaught designed to trap a lesser man.

Rep. Tim Burchett refused to take the bait, refused to allow Acosta to spring his word traps, and maintained his footing like a champ for the entire 9 minute and 44 second discussion.

The CNN hitman led out with a question about the J6 pardons.

That’s when the bell rang, and the fight was on.  Check out this clip to get a feel for the blows Burchett landed as Acosta attempted the equivalent of a heel lock:

CNN's Jim Acosta: "I just want to ask you if — if any of these people who were released from prison, if any of them commit crimes in the future, should Donald Trump take personal responsibility for that?"@TimBurchett: "No more than Joe Biden should take personal responsibility… pic.twitter.com/AniHmDbim4

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 22, 2025

Here’s the full text of that post for easier viewing:

CNN’s Jim Acosta: “I just want to ask you if — if any of these people who were released from prison, if any of them commit crimes in the future, should Donald Trump take personal responsibility for that?”

@TimBurchett: “No more than Joe Biden should take personal responsibility for the 14 million people — for Laken Riley losing her life because he didn’t have enough guts to enforce the law and –”

Acosta: “I’m not talking about Joe Biden!”

Burchett: “– and back Americans.”

Some people were blessed with a quick wit for the purpose of teaching arrogant bullies a lesson.

I am convinced Tim Burchett is one of those people.

At one point, Acosta didn’t like Burchett’s answers or his insinuation that CNN covered only partisan angles, so he got a little sarcastic.

And in so doing he set himself up for one of the best uppercuts of the entire bouts.

Watch the next clip here:

HOLY COW!!! Congressman Tim Burchett just ended CNN live on air.

Jim Acosta: "This is CNN. This is the news."

Burchett: "And that's why more people are watching the cartoon network, Spongebob reruns right now." 😂🔥

Well done, Congressman. pic.twitter.com/nIsv6iEod8

— George (@BehizyTweets) January 22, 2025

Jim Acosta: “This is CNN. This is the news.”

Burchett: “And that’s why more people are watching the cartoon network, SpongeBob reruns right now.”

That may be one of the funniest quips at CNN’s expense I’ve ever heard.

A U.S. Congressman now lives rent free in Jim Acosta’s head, and wakes him up in the middle of the night to rethink his life choices.

When he realized Burchett had his line of attack well figured out, Acosta brought up “back the blue” in an attempt to catch Burchett in a hypocritical conundrum.

As you might have expected, that didn’t work either.  Watch that clip here:

OUCH. @TimBurchett absolutely bodies CNN's Jim Acosta as the network losing to Spongebob reruns….

Acosta: "This is this is not Fox, congressman. You can't just spin a tale and pull the wool over people's eyes. This is CNN. This is the news. We are asking you to come on and… pic.twitter.com/AUfWPwPH49

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 22, 2025

As sharp as Burchett’s answers had been up to this point, I don’t think Acosta expected him to avoid the trap of his “back the blue” question.

“What happened to backing police officers”, Acosta asked according to a report in Fox News:

On his first day in office on Monday, Trump signed pardons for approximately 1,500 defendants who were charged with crimes stemming from the riot at the U.S. Capitol, fulfilling a promise he made in December to act quickly and pardon them.

Acosta grilled Burchett over the pardons on his show Wednesday and demanded he condemn them.

Burchett told Acosta that many of these defendants were not given due process and those who trespassed at the Capitol building that day should not “rot in jail for the rest of their lives in a federal penitentiary and never be charged.”

As Acosta continued to press him to condemn the pardons, Burchett said that he did not know the details of each person’s case but said that those who broke the law should be in jail.

“What happened to ‘back the blue’? What happened to backing police officers?” Acosta asked heatedly. “Your party has said time and again, ‘We back the blue.’ It sounds like you let down the blue! You’re betraying the blue!”

Burchett accused CNN of selective outrage towards Trump’s pardons when former President Joe Biden commuted sentences for murderers and child rapists before he left office.

He asked Acosta why there wasn’t a demand for justice for the violence that occurred during the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020.

“Why don’t you just give an editorial and not let me come on?” the Republican shot back. “Look what happened in the last four years with police. What happened with all the riots that took place all across the country? Police officers were murdered. Courthouses were burned. Over 22 police cars were burned. Yet no one went to jail for that.”

“Where are your crocodile tears for that?” he asked Acosta.

I have a feeling Burchett has played Uno a time or two and has a grasp of the Uno reverse card.

Rep. Burchett finally gave Acosta an answer, but the lead up had been so frustrating his head nearly exploded when Burchett was actually able to answer the question in a logical, reasonable way without springing the trap.

Burchett shared that clip himself, and I don’t blame him for being proud enough to share it — I certainly would have.

Legacy media will spend the next four years talking about J6 pardons while their President pardoned pedophiles and murderers. Do not let them lecture you on morality. pic.twitter.com/xyN4xWq8Nu

— Rep. Tim Burchett (@RepTimBurchett) January 22, 2025

Acosta really lost his cool when Burchett mentioned that he wasn’t sure that the defendants were truly violent.

Here’s a report from the Washington Examiner with more on that:

“Do you defend what Donald Trump did, releasing these people from prison, pardoning them, commuting their sentences? Yes or no?” Acosta asked on Wednesday.

Burchett said that he “was offended as anybody” if rioters were crossing barriers on the historic day but cautioned that many defendants “never even saw their day in court” while sitting in a jail cell.

The congressman added that it was unclear if some of the defendants were truly violent.

“What do you mean you don’t know that? We’re showing the footage on the air right now. Congressman, you were there that day. There are offenders on Jan. 6 who violently beat police officers. There are offenders who are convicted of seditious conspiracy. That is the truth,” the CNN host pushed back.

“This is a political world, Jim,” the Tennessee lawmaker responded. “And I don’t remember you all on CNN condemning Joe Biden for commuting the sentences of murders and child molesters, which he did.”

Acosta insisted the news channel has already “talked about” Biden’s pardons.

“Oh, Jim, you did not,” Burchett shot back.

Acosta and the congressman continued to spar. Burchett said that many of these defendants were “never given due process” and those who trespassed at the Capitol building that day should not “rot in jail for the rest of their lives in a federal penitentiary and never be charged.”

“On several [defendants], he did not release from jail. Why are you not putting the story out on that and saying it’s a blanket?” Burchett argued with the CNN host’s characterization of Trump’s pardons.

Burchett explained that he had constituents, bankers and church people, who left the Capitol area before the riot and the “FBI came to their house, their places of business, and harassed them.”

“This was a political thing from the start. It was a bad day in America,” he said to Acosta.

“Not a political thing. It’s not a political thing. Congressman, they broke the law,” the CNN host replied.

When all was said and done, Acosta had attempted to trap Congressman Burchett for nearly 10 full minutes.

I once saw a video of a high school student wrestling a bull — literally by the horns — for what seemed like an eternity in order to win some rodeo contest.

I was amazed by that video; but this all the more.  Rep. Burchett has certainly learned all the lessons of rhetoric having survived countless such traps at the hands of Congressional democrats.

Here is the full uncut bout between CNN’s Acosta and the masterful Tim Burchett:

Amazingly, Burchett wasn’t making up those rating stats.  SpongeBob reruns actually have higher ratings than CNN.

How does spongebob have higher ratings than cnn? Idk, spongebob seems smarter. pic.twitter.com/qHFi32ZCVI

— Doc Huckleberry (@DockHuckleberry) January 22, 2025

It may be some time before the Acosta’s of the mainstream media realize what the rest of us have known for some time.

Their season as gatekeepers and truth police has come to an end.

Until they realize it, conversations like that between Acosta and Burchett will continue to pop up here and there.

And we will all have the pleasure of enjoying the exploding heads of those who simply refuse to “get it”.