An elderly supporter of President Donald Trump has been flooded with threats and ridicule after CNN shared an ambush interview of her with its 40 million followers.
Florine Gruen Goldfarb, 76, had her name and house number prominently featured in a video where CNN correspondent Drew Griffin questions her aggressively about an event she promoted during the 2016 election.
Goldfarb did not know that the event was allegedly created by a Russian troll organization, as has been revealed in the indictment filed by special counsel Robert Mueller. No American and no member of the Trump campaign knowingly promoted the events that the Russian trolls created, according to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
That didn’t stop CNN from conducting an ambush interview on Goldfarb’s front lawn and sharing the video on Twitter. Now Goldfarb is inundated with threats and ridicule online and on the phone.
People called Goldfarb “public enemy number one,” a “traitor,” “miserable racist trash” and a “treasonous hillbilly.” One person wrote that she “should be arrested and tried for treason.” Another user called her a ”complete moron.”
In the interview with Goldfarb, the CNN correspondent presses her about the event she promoted.
“The Russians? I don’t care if they were involved or not,” Goldfarb said.
Despite the answer, the correspondent continues a similar line of questioning, until Goldfarb turns to walk back inside her home, using an expletive to describe the network’s allegations.
The threats and insults Goldfarb received have been ameliorated by uplifting messages from fellow Trump supporters who saw CNN’s video, she told CNN.
A cable news star who came to fame through man-on-the-street segments, Jesse Watters, criticized the CNN correspondent’s conduct.
“I’ve done this dozens and dozens of times and ambushed people. I’ve never done it to a regular person outside of their house,” Watters told Fox News. “The guy can go to someone’s house with a camera and a mic, that’s fine. … His tone was so wrong and accusatory.”
Goldfarb shared one of the messages she received with Fox News.
“Hey Comrade, I saw you being interviewed and denying helping Russians. You and all the Russian allies should go prison once we hang Trump for treason. Looking forward to impeaching your treasonous pos fake President, and coming after his enablers like you,” the person wrote.
Goldfarb is enthusiastic in the face of adversity.
“I may be 76 going on 77 but I am not an old lady,“ she told Fox News. ”I have been active in politics for 10 years. Worked on many campaigns. In between my hobby is dancing, such as line dancing, couple dancing such as cha-cha, west and East Coast swing dances.”
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