CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield blasted former Republican congressman Joe Walsh on Twitter Thursday afternoon, saying “there’s a reason you’re an EX congressman. How dare you call for beheadings of fellow Americans. Despicable.” Banfield was reacting to Walsh’s comment–also made on Twitter–that he hoped “when the Islamists next strike they first behead the appeasing cowards at CNN, MSNBC.”
Unlike a 2012 confrontation between Banfield and Walsh that happened live on CNN, this back-and-forth played out on Twitter, and that led to some confusion. Banfield sent her message to @JoeWalsh, which is actually the Twitter handle not of the former GOP congressman, but guitarist Joe Walsh of the Eagles.
“What did the Eagles’ guitarist ever do to you,” a Twitter user named T. Beckett Adams asked Banfield. Others simply responded with Eagles lyrics, suggesting Banfield “take it easy” and saying of Walsh that “life’s been good to him, so far.”
The intended Walsh (whose Twitter handle turns out to be @WalshFreedom) did get Banfield’s message amid the confusion, responding that his original tweet was satire–though he does believe CNN journalists have appeased terrorists by failing to show Charlie Hebdo cartoons:
.@CNNAshleigh Wrong joe, but facts are hard. I thought you of all people at CNN would have the guts to show the cartoon, but no.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) January 15, 2015