The U.K. Daily Mail reports that CNN was allegedly having talks with the late conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart and Anthony Weiner, the former New York Congressman that left office after a sexting scandal was revealed… by Breitbart.
While it makes for a good story, a source familiar with Weiner’s plans tells TVNewser that it is utter fiction. Weiner–who has been laying low since leaving office, and just became a new father–has not been talking to CNN about hosting a show, and would “never” host a program with the man that helped remove him from office, the source says.
CNN also told Politico’s Dylan Byers that the story was “totally false.” The author of the Daily Mail story defended himself to Byers, saying that he was just reporting what Breitbart was telling friends.
While the Weiner-Breitbart “Crossfire-esque” program wasn’t realistic, the possibility of Breitbart joining CNN in a paid capacity may have been. A source at the channel says that Breitbart was believed to be having discussions about joining in a paid role, though it would likely have been as a political analyst.
Update: CNN tells me that it was not considering Breitbart for a paid position at the network.