Muslim groups knock CNN for hire of former NYPD official

CNN is taking criticism from some Muslim groups over its decision to hire John Miller, the former New York Police Department (NYPD) deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The network announced this week Miller was joining the channel as its chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst.

“John will help deliver on CNN’s commitment to tackle complex issues while presenting audiences with independent, objective news and meaningful analysis across platforms,” network President Chris Licht said in announcing Miller’s hire.

But some critics are blasting his hiring, citing Miller’s leadership of the NYPD unit during a controversial program involving the alleged monitoring of Muslims in the city following the 9/11 attacks.

“For him to be able to take on a position that will give him a broader impact to an outlet that many of us trust is just another reminder of just how Muslims in our city are treated,” Shahana Hanif, a member of the New York City Council, told HuffPost this week. “I hope that CNN is watching the kind of backlash and the response to this hiring, and they should take very seriously the voices of the Muslim community because we are viewers too. We too want objective news.”

Naz Ahmad, the acting director of Creating Law Enforcement Accountability in New York, a group that sued the NYPD over the surveillance program, told the outlet Miller “is going to have trouble being objective.”

Earlier this year, while testifying before the City Council, Miller denied the department ever improperly spied on Muslims in the city and never admitted any wrongdoing as part of the three lawsuits it settled in the matter.

Miller is one of the first major hires made by Licht since he took over as president of CNN in May.