Savannah Guthrie is being called out for her latest high-profile interview.
On Tuesday, the “Today” co-anchor took to Twitter to reveal that she had sat down with Nicholas Sandmann, the student at the center of the recent incident at the Lincoln Memorial involving students from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky.
Sitting down with Nicholas Sandmann – the student at the center of the protest controversy at the Lincoln Memorial. Airs tomorrow on @TODAYshow pic.twitter.com/oSb8ljunQN
— Savannah Guthrie (@SavannahGuthrie) January 22, 2019
“Sitting down with Nicholas Sandmann – the student at the center of the protest controversy at the Lincoln Memorial,” she captioned an uncomfortable photo from the sit-down. “Airs tomorrow on @TODAYshow.”
Twitter was quick to call out Guthrie for the interview, telling her, “you don’t have to do this.”
@SavannahGuthrie @TODAYshow This kid is no hero! You are sending an abhorrent message to our youth. #LostaViewer
— Tobie (@talons918) January 22, 2019
Sitting down with Nicholas Sandmann – the student at the center of the protest controversy at the Lincoln Memorial. Airs tomorrow on @TODAYshow pic.twitter.com/oSb8ljunQN
— Savannah Guthrie (@SavannahGuthrie) January 22, 2019
Sandmann was the center of a viral video that showed him, along with hoards of his mostly-white male classmates wearing Make America Great Again hats, in a tense confrontation with a Native American Vietnam War vet, Nathan Phillips, 64. The standoff took place during the Indigenous Peoples March, which took place on the National Mall.
Phillips also spoke out, explaining he approached the two groups of protestors to try and maintain peace. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Phillips confirmed members of the African-American Hebrew group said “some harsh things” and that one member spit in the direction of the students. However, he added it was “scary” to see “hatred” in the high-schoolers eyes during the encounter.
Phillips claimed some of the students mocked Native Americans while chanting “Build the Wall” and used derogatory language. The students had a “mob mentality,” he said, adding, “It was ugly, what these kids were involved in. It was racism. It was hatred. It was scary.” Sandmann, in his statement, denied that the group used such chants.
President Donald Trump tweeted his support for the Covington Catholic students and is reportedly meeting with them this week
Nick Sandmann and the students of Covington have become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be. They have captivated the attention of the world, and I know they will use it for the good – maybe even to bring people together. It started off unpleasant, but can end in a dream!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2019
(Excerpts) Read More at: AOL.com and Yahoo.com