CNN signs April Ryan as political analyst

CNN has signed American Urban Radio Networks White House correspondent April Ryan as a political analyst. 

The 49-year-old journalist and author made the announcement via Twitter on Monday. 

NEW CNN CONTRIBUTOR: APRIL RYAN named a CNN political analyst. She is the White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks

— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) April 3, 2017

Ryan has prominently been in the news the last few weeks after clashing with White House press secretary Sean Spicer and appearing multiple times on CNN. 

The Morgan State graduate was also profiled by The New York Times on Friday. 

{mosads}“I’m not the news. I don’t like being in the news,” Ryan said in a telephone interview with The Hill. “But it’s about freedom of the press. We need to stay vigilant.” 

Ryan has covered the White House for more than 20 years, since President Clinton’s second term.

She also drew controversy in February after accusing President Trump of implying that “white America” made this country. 

“What did the president gain from his tour today? You talked about where he visited, the exhibits that he visited. Did he also visit slavery? And the reason why I’m asking this is because when he was candidate Trump, he said things like, you know, ‘We made this country,’ meaning white America, not necessarily black,” Ryan asked Spicer during a press briefing. 

“I don’t know why you would say that. What do you mean?” Spicer responded.

“No, no, no. He said that. I heard him say that,” she replied.

CNN has bolstered its political roster in the Trump era. 

Since January, CNN has added former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.); Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.); former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D); The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, David Fahrenthold and Wesley Lowery; former Obama State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki; J.D. Vance of National Review; and Salena Zito of the Washington Examiner, among others.