CNN’s Dana Bash sees the book event thrown into disarray by anti-Israel protesters

A stop on CNN’s political chief Dana Bash’s new book tour was thrown into chaos when anti-Israel protesters crashed the event.

Bash was promoting her book “America’s Deadliest Election: The Cautionary Tale of the Most Violent Election in American History” at an event Thursday night hosted by independent bookstore Politics and Prose in Washington, DC.

NEWS: CNN’s Dana Bash had her event, America’s Deadliest Election, at the DC Bookstore, Politics and Prose, interrupted several times by pro-Palestinian protesters who accused her of being complicit in genocide.

Bash’s answer: “Take off the mask.” pic.twitter.com/mSPk4MFAbK

— Stu (@thestustustudio) September 6, 2024

At least two protesters crashed the event and came forward to the seated audience gathered in the bookstore to confront Bash.

“You belong behind bars!” A protester can be seen shouting at Bash in a video from the event. “You are complicit in genocide!”

“Every time she lies, a neighborhood in Gaza dies!” the protester shouted. “She’s killing people! You know you are! Look me in the eye! Look me in the eye!”

“You don’t deserve to see [her] in the eye,” one audience member responded.

The protester continued to shout at Bash, calling her a “murderer,” as two men in police uniforms escorted her out of the bookstore.

“Take off your mask,” an audience member said as the protester walked out.

A second protester then took over the one-sided shouting match.

“You’re getting millions and you’re living in that house all by yourself, in that multi-million dollar house,” the protester said. “You are taking it to spew lies about the Palestinian people!”

The Jewish CNN anchor — who did not engage with the protesters — has criticized the divisive pro-Palestinian protests that have erupted on college campuses across the country.

“Now, protesting the way the Israeli government, the Israeli prime minister is prosecuting the retaliatory war against Hamas is one thing,” Bash said earlier on her Inside Politics program. “Making Jewish students feel unsafe in their schools is unacceptable. And that’s happening a lot right now.”

A CNN spokesman called Bash “a highly respected veteran journalist” who has covered politics “fairly” for more than thirty years.

“We stand firmly by her and her reporting, and while we respect the right to free speech, we will not be intimidated and will continue to cover all topics without fear or favor,” a CNN spokesperson told The Post. in a statement.

Bash’s book parallels the 1872 election – when both major parties accused the other of corruption and racism and violence spread across the country – with today’s tense political atmosphere.

Calls from the audience for protesters to remove their masks are not unusual.

Long Island’s Nassau County became the first to pass a controversial ban on wearing face coverings in public, making it a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The ban excludes people who wear masks for health, safety, religious or cultural reasons.

The Republican-controlled state legislature passed the act in response to an increase in anti-Semitic incidents, which state lawmakers claimed were often carried out by those wearing masks.

A New York-based disability advocacy group filed a lawsuit against the ban, arguing that it is unconstitutional and discriminates against people with disabilities.

(An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed quotes from an audience member to Dana Bash. A CNN spokesperson said Bash did not engage with the protesters and allowed them to protest peacefully.)