CNN anchor Kasie Hunt’s interview with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) was abruptly cut off Tuesday — at which point she claimed she had planned to ask him about convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein and alleged “preferential treatment” for his former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Burchett appeared on Hunt’s show “The Arena” to discuss corruption in Washington when the congressman’s feed was lost mid-rant.
“The real problem, ma’am, is the politicians are greedy and they’re selling this country down the road,” Burchett said before Hunt pressed, “Yourself included?”
“Well, they’re sellin’ us all down the road. I don’t, I don’t go with them, but you don’t see me —” Burchett replied before Hunt interjected, “But you’re a politician.”
“Well, heck yeah, I am, and you’re in the media, so we’re both hated,” Burchett shot back.
As the Tennessee lawmaker continued blasting lobbyists and “five-dollar-bill”-chasing politicians, his video connection dropped.
“Well, it looks like we lost this politician,” Hunt said on air.
“I was going to ask him about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s apparent preferential treatment. We’re not going to have a chance to do that now, hopefully next time.”
Hunt did not elaborate on what she planned to ask, but her comment came as lawmakers in Washington raise questions over Maxwell’s current status at a federal prison in Texas.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee claimed this week that the British socialite is being “waited on hand and foot” and enjoying unusually relaxed conditions for a convicted sex trafficker.
In 2022, Maxwell, 63, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping Epstein recruit and groom underage girls.
Earlier this week, Democrats claimed that Maxwell was planning to apply for a commutation of her sentence, which is set to run through 2037. President Trump recently deflected questions about whether he would grant a request for clemency.
She was transferred to a low-security facility in Fort Worth following meetings between Trump-era Justice Department officials and her legal team.
Epstein, a former financier with ties to Trump and other prominent figures, died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The Justice Department ruled his death a suicide, though the circumstances — including broken cameras and missing guards — fueled widespread skepticism.
Earlier this year, Trump’s Justice Department reaffirmed that conclusion and said there was no evidence Epstein trafficked women for “high-profile friends and clients,” despite repeated claims by victims and their attorneys.
Burchett has publicly said he does not trust that finding, urging Congress to independently review the case.
Epstein’s name has continued to surface in Washington, where both Republicans and Democrats have demanded the release of thousands of pages of court and investigative documents related to his associates.
