CNN commentator Bakari Sellers has apologised after sparking outrage for attempting to blame former President Donald Trump’s hiring freeze for Wednesday’s deadly plane crash in Washington DC.
Sellers deleted his social media post and admitted he “f***ed up” after facing fierce criticism for politicising the tragedy that claimed multiple lives when an American Airlines passenger jet collided with a military helicopter.
The controversial post had suggested Trump’s recent executive order freezing air traffic control hiring may have contributed to the crash, despite the order explicitly excluding military and safety positions.
Sellers’ initial post shared a screenshot of a press release from Representative Rick Larsen, a Democratic lawmaker, warning about what he called Trump’s “dangerous freeze of air traffic control hiring”.
The post included the caption “8 days ago”, referencing Trump’s executive order signed upon taking office last week.
Rep. Larsen’s statement had claimed: “Hiring air traffic controllers is the number one safety issue according to the entire aviation industry”.
Donald Trump was blamed by Sellers for the air disaster
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The House Democrat’s press release criticised the administration for “choosing to spread bogus DEI claims to justify this decision” rather than working to improve aviation safety.
Critics immediately condemned Sellers for politicising the tragedy whilst rescue efforts were still underway.
“They are fishing corpses out of the Potomac, families are praying their loved ones miraculously survived, and here you were being the ghoulish Partisan spouting the Narrative,” wrote one social media user.
Dave Galluch, a Navy veteran and former Congressional candidate, noted the hiring freeze did not apply to air traffic control.
Bakari Sellers faced backlash for his Trump tweet
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“Even if the headline was accurate, using the death of 60+ innocent people to get a political dig in an hour after their death is as low as you can go,” Galluch wrote.
Other users branded Sellers a “despicable liar” and a “broken human being”.
Trump’s executive order, signed upon taking office, froze all vacant federal civilian positions as of noon on January 20.
The order was part of an effort to downsize the federal government and remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
However, the White House clarified that the freeze specifically exempted military personnel and roles associated with immigration enforcement, national security and public safety.
A White House “fact sheet” stated Trump had signed “a Presidential Memorandum terminating a Biden Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hiring policy that prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) over safety and efficiency”.
It remains unclear if the freeze affects FAA air traffic controller hiring given the safety exemptions.
Following the backlash, Sellers removed the post and issued an apology on social media.
“I deleted the post because timing matters. Politics at this point does not,” he wrote.
“I f**ked up, I own that. I am very prayerful but I’m also very frustrated upset and disturbed with where we are as a country. I recognise, and I will do better.”
He added: “The only thing that matters is rescuing the survivors, and ensuring this never happens again.”
A CNN spokesperson told media outlets they would let Sellers’ apology speak for itself.
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The crash occurred when an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 64 passengers and crew, collided with a Black Hawk helicopter during its landing approach at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The military helicopter, carrying three soldiers on a training mission, was reported by the Army to have had “fairly experienced” crew members.
“We probably lost 60 Kansans tonight,” Senator Roger Marshall told reporters on Thursday morning.
DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly confirmed they had switched from rescue to recovery operations.
So far, 27 deceased plane passengers and one helicopter victim have been recovered from the Potomac River.
Officials have stated there are no survivors expected from the incident, which marks the first fatal US commercial airline crash since 2009.