In a display of grotesque moral inversion that has become the hallmark of the liberal media, CNN’s Brian Stelter has managed to eclipse his own history of partisan hackery. The brutal murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska is not, in Stelter’s view, the central tragedy to be mourned. Instead, he has perversely reframed this horrifying event, arguing that the true outrage is the supposed racism of those who dared to bring national attention to the crime.
Every time the American public believes that CNN cannot possibly sink to a new low, the network’s commentators somehow manage to do it. In this instance, Stelter’s analysis represents a profound disrespect for the victim and a blatant attempt to shield his preferred political narratives from scrutiny. His commentary is a naked effort to dismiss legitimate concerns about public safety and violent crime as mere political opportunism, all while engaging in the most cynical form of opportunism himself.
The transcript of Stelter’s remarks, as provided by Real Clear Politics, reveals the exact mechanism of this deflection. Stelter begins by acknowledging the gruesome nature of the video and then immediately pivots to his true target: supporters of President Donald Trump. He states, “Second, the energy from pro-Trump activists. They picked up on this video from local news and ran with it.” This framing is designed to cast a shadow of illegitimacy over the public’s natural horror and demand for justice, implying it is not organic but manufactured for political gain.
Stelter then draws a breathtakingly offensive comparison in an attempt to grant his argument a moral authority it does not deserve. He claims, “It’s a little bit like the times when civil rights groups have raised attention about police-involved shootings.” This is a false equivalence of the highest order, equating grassroots movements seeking justice for systemic issues with what he implies is a disingenuous political stunt. The only common thread Stelter can identify is that both actions inconvenience the left’s worldview.
The CNN analyst then proceeds to name-check prominent figures who amplified the story, revealing his true anxiety: that the narrative escaped the control of the legacy media gatekeepers. He notes, “Really, over the weekend, Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk, other Trump-aligned figures succeeded in making this senseless death a symbol of big-city crime.” For Stelter, the “success” of drawing national attention to a vicious murder is itself a problem, because it serves a purpose he finds politically inconvenient.
Finally forced to cover the Iryna Zarutska murder, CNN rolls out resident potato Brian Stelter to twist and torture the story into a screed about…racism on the right and on 𝕏.
“The open racism on sites like X is eye-popping!" pic.twitter.com/9qtYP1LO1f
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) September 8, 2025
His most egregious comment, however, is his attempt to tar everyone discussing the crime with the brush of racism. Stelter alleges, “I have to say, some of the replies to Musk, some of the comments around this story are baldly racist, stoking fear of African-Americans because this man attacked a white woman.” By focusing on the absolute worst elements found in the replies of a social media post, Stelter engages in a classic guilt-by-association fallacy, aiming to discredit the entire conversation and avoid addressing the core issue of a repeat offender being free to attack an innocent woman.
President Donald Trump, in his characteristic manner of focusing on the safety of the American people, did exactly what a leader should do. He took note of a serious issue that resonated with the public. Stelter, with palpable disappointment, reported that the President was getting briefed on the matter, a process that should be commended, not criticized. The story rightly “trickled up” because it represents a failure of the very systems that conservatives have long argued are broken.
a woman is savagely murdered, and this ghoul directs his ire not on the murderous devil, but social media posts. you couldn't create a more repellent person. it's as if CNN is committing suicide, collectively, before our eyes. https://t.co/xvCjNDIhD2
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) September 9, 2025
The liberal media, embodied by Stelter, cannot simply report on a tragic crime and the legitimate anger it sparks. They must immediately pathologize the reaction, diagnose it as a social ill, and condemn it. Their priority is never the victim or the prevention of future victims, but the relentless protection of their own fragile and failing narratives. They are more offended by who is telling the story and what it exposes than by the story itself. This is the real scandal, and the American people see it clearly.