One of the CNN Network’s main hosts, Anderson Cooper, addressed the criticism following the contentious and harshly panned town hall featuring Donald Trump and made an effort to defend the programme.

The town hall featured Mr. Trump in a discussion that was moderated by CNN host Kaitlan Collins, during which he made a number of false claims, advanced theories about the 2020 election, and pledged to pardon Capitol rioters who had been charged with crimes for their involvement in the uprising two years prior.

Cooper addressed the town hall and the unfavourable response it elicited in the first segment of his show, Anderson Cooper 360.

“Many of you are upset that someone who attempted to destroy our democracy was invited to sit on the stage in front of a crowd of Republican voters to answer questions and predictably continued to spew lie after lie after lie. And I get it. It was disturbing,” he said during the broadcast.