WATCH: CNN Commentator Hints It’s Ok To Call Black Republicans Racial Slurs

On Monday night, a CNN political commentator suggested on Don Lemon’s “CNN Tonight” that it is okay for black Republicans to be called derogatory racial slurs on the network if they “act like it.”

The segment, which was initially centered around racial diversity among White House interns, quickly turned into a discussion about minorities in the Republican Party.

Responding to a comment from Lemon, Christopher Hayes, the Executive Director of Unhyphenated America, said: “Here’s the problem with that, it takes someone with very thick skin to go out there and be black and say ‘I’m a Republican, I’m a conservative,’ because what’s going to happen is they’re going to come on your network and they’re going to be called an Uncle Tom, a c**n, and everything like that and so first things first…”

At that moment, CNN political commentator Tara Setmayer interjected: “What are you talking about?”

Hayes responded: “Are you going to sit there and act like that’s not true?”

“Well if you act like it and someone calls you out on it, then we can’t do anything about that,” Setmayer replied. “Maybe the messengers need to be better.”

“So it’s okay to actually call someone a particular name as long as you feel like they’re acting like that?” Hayes asked incredulously. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“I didn’t say that,” insisted Setmayer, before saying it again: “I’m just saying you can’t blame people for being called certain names if they behave certain ways.”

This is CNN.

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