“The Statue of Liberty bows head in anguish,” tweeted CNN reporter Ellise Labbot on Thursday, after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to block Syrian refugees from entering the country. The tweet was met with mixed responses, and led to her suspension for 2 weeks.
House passes bill that could limit Syrian refugees. Statue of Liberty bows head in anguish @CNNPolitics https://t.co/5RvZwVftgD
— Elise Labott (@eliselabottcnn) November 19, 2015
She tweeted again, apologising for her previous tweet.
Everyone, It was wrong of me to editorialize. My tweet was inappropriate and disrespectful. I sincerely apologize. — Elise Labott (@eliselabottcnn) November 20, 2015
Users on Twitter were divided in their response to the original tweet. Some called her out for portraying bias.
@eliselabottcnn @CNNPolitics Tweets like this reflect an anti-American bias and an ignorance of American history
— Don Surber (@donsurber) November 19, 2015
But there were many who supported her as well.
@eliselabottcnn actually, that first tweet was spot on. — Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) November 20, 2015
If @eliselabottcnn‘s tweet warrants that punishment, I should be permanently unemployed
— Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) November 20, 2015
Labott’s tweet came in the wake of a bill passed by House Republicans, along with a sizable number of Democrats, on Thursday afternoon to halt the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the country until key federal agencies can certify that they have been properly vetted.
The bill was passed, 289-137, with 47 Democrats voting in favor, even after the Obama administration threatened to veto the legislation. The Obama administration also made an effort Thursday morning to convince Democrats to vote against the legislation. Based on the large number of Democrats who voted for the bill however, the House should have the two-thirds majority it needs to override a potential presidential veto.
