CNN contributor Rick Santorum on Sunday blasted Democrats and gun control activists for "demonizing" Fox News host Laura Ingraham after she was accused of bullying a shooting survivor from Parkland, Florida.
During a panel discussion on CNN's State of the Union program, host Jake Tapper noted that Ingraham's Fox News show had been the target of a boycott because she lashed out at Parkland survivor David Hogg. Ingraham later said she regretted the attack and announced that she was taking a "pre-planned" vacation in the midst of the boycott.
Santorum agreed that Ingraham "made a mistake and she shouldn't have done that."
But the former Republican presidential candidate argued that liberals were also part of the problem.
"It's part of what I see is a real problem in American politics, which is the demonization of people," he said. "I understand that the president does that and sets a very poor example. We shouldn't follow it. And that goes for both sides. The demonization over the last week has been on both sides of the aisle."
Conservative CNN contributor Amanda Carpenter asserted that Ingraham, who is Catholic, picked the wrong week to attack a shooting survivor.
"If it wasn't a Christian nice thing to do during Holy Week, it's not a Christian nice thing to do during any other week either," she insisted.
Liberal contributor Bakari Sellers pointed out that Ingraham has to accept that free speech can have consequences.
"I don't think she will be back on TV after this 'pre-planned' vacation," he predicted.
"I disagree," Santorum replied. "Laura made a mistake, she apologized for the mistake. She has a long track record of responsible journalism and she'll be back."
"She also has a long track record of xenophobia and bigotry," Sellers added.
