On Wednesday morning, CNN News Central host Sara Sidner wrongly tried to correct her Republican guest, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, when the Minnesota congressman informed viewers that crime in the state has surged since Democratic Governor Tim Walz came into office in 2019. 

After Emmer complained about Governor Walz's record on several issues, Sidner recalled that the Democrat was reelected in 2022 as evidence of approval by voters and posed: "But why do you think Minnesotans seem to disagree with you about what he has done in their state? ... We just looked at the election results, though. The election results tell you something, don't they?"

The Republican congressman blamed the media going soft on Democrats as he recalled some of Walz's crime policies:

Tim Walz has been given a sweetheart -- much like Kamala Harris, Sara, the media -- the mainstream media gives these people a pass -- they don't call out what they actually stand for. They don't point out that under Tim Walz's leadership the Minneapolis Police Department is 40 percent down in manpower. Then, he wanted to move money away from police. This is the reason you see the violent crime at record highs in Minnesota.

Both newspapers in the Twin Cities are Democrat-friendly. The local CBS station came rushing to her defense after she urged donations to bail out rioters in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. 

Sidner soon wrongly claimed that crime is down to record lows in Minnesota:

Congressman Emmer, when you look at the actual statistics, the numbers are actually down for violent crime in Minnesota and across the country. For the past -- it's been better than the past almost 50 years. If you look at the FBI statistics, the Department of Public Safety in Minnesota, across the country, crime's actually down quite a bit. I think it's 13 percent if you look at the new numbers in the first quarter. So why do you keep saying crime is rampant there when the numbers show differently?

But the murder rate in Minnesota almost doubled during Governor Walz's first term. In 2018, the year before he took office, the number of murders for that year stood at 104, but, by 2021 had reached 201, surpassing the previous record set in 1995. By 2022, the number was still up substantially, coming in at 182.

According to Minneapolis city data, the number of homicides in that city per year surged from 48 in 2019 to 97 in 2021, and was still at 72 in 2023. And the number so far in 2024 does not look much lower than last year.

Sidner and Emmer went back and forth:

EMMER: I don't know where you're getting your statistics from.

SIDNER: From the FBI and the Department of Public Safety.

EMMER: Murder, homicides are up dramatically in Minnesota. No, I'm telling you, you can play whatever games you want with the numbers. Assaults are up, car jackings are up, murder is up. And, by the way, we got a vice presidential candidate who the last time he teamed up with Kamala Harris, they allowed Minneapolis to burn down. He didn't call out the National Guard even though he had been asked to by the mayor of Minneapolis. He allowed the city to burn, and then, what did Kamala Harris do? She helped bail these criminals out of jail...

Transcript follows:

CNN News Central

August 7, 2024

7:50 a.m. Eastern

SARA SIDNER: But why do you think Minnesotans seem to disagree with you about what he has done in their state?

CONGRESSMAN TOM EMMER, HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: Well, you need to come to Minnesota.

(cross talk)

SIDNER: We just looked at the election results, though. The election results tell you something, don't they?

EMMER: Tim Walz is finally going to be exposed. Tim Walz has been given a sweetheart -- much like Kamala Harris, Sara, the media -- the mainstream media gives these people a pass -- they don't call out what they actually stand for. They don't point out that under Tim Walz's leadership the Minneapolis Police Department is 40 percent down in manpower. Then, he wanted to move money away from police. This is the reason you see the violent crime at record highs in Minnesota.

(...)

SIDNER: Congressman Emmer, when you look at the actual statistics, the numbers are actually down for violent crime in Minnesota and across the country. For the past -- it's been better than the past almost 50 years. If you look at the FBI statistics, the Department of Public Safety in Minnesota, across the country, crime's actually down quite a bit. I think it's 13 percent if you look at the new numbers in the first quarter. So why do you keep saying crime is rampant there when the numbers show differently?

EMMER: It is. Sara, I don't know where you're getting your statistics from.

SIDNER: From the FBI and the Department of Public Safety.

EMMER: Murder, homicides are up dramatically in Minnesota. No, I'm telling you, you can play whatever games you want with the numbers. Assaults are up, car jackings are up, murder is up. And, by the way, we got a vice presidential candidate who the last time he teamed up with Kamala Harris, they allowed Minneapolis to burn down. He didn't call out the National Guard even though he had been asked to by the mayor of Minneapolis. He allowed the city to burn, and then, what did Kamala Harris do? She helped bail these criminals out of jail...