Esperanza Aguirre attacks RTVE after a question on 'Mañaneros 360' about Ayuso's controversial penthouse: "What a shame for Spanish Television!"

The former president of the Community of Madrid Esperanza Aguirre on Monday turned a question about the penthouse linked to Isabel Díaz Ayuso into a frontal attack against Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) and its professionals. The PP leader went so far as to question whether the public broadcaster's reporters were Spanish and accused them of not defending the country's territorial integrity.

The confrontation occurred during a PP event in support of the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas. Pablo Collantes, a reporter for 'Mañaneros 360', asked Aguirre if she would consider it correct to buy a penthouse as an official residence, after Ayuso brought up Yolanda Díaz's official residence when questioned about the property acquired by the public company Planifica Madrid.

Aguirre avoided getting into the matter and directed her reproaches against the journalists from 'Mañaneros 360' and 'Malas Lenguas' who were covering the event. "That Televisión Española worries about this instead of the people of Ceuta indigns me. What a shame for Televisión Española, that it doesn't ask about the people of Ceuta!", she exclaimed.

Collantes reminded her that they had already asked her about Ceuta upon her arrival and brought up a previous statement by Aguirre about the possibility of migrants setting fire to the port. When asked if she considered all newcomers to be criminals, the former president assured that it was enough for one to be so and stated that jihadists had entered.

"That's what you should be concerned about at Televisión Española, if you are Spanish," Aguirre continued. The journalist immediately replied that RTVE workers were Spanish. "You are Spanish, but you do not defend the territorial integrity of Spain," she retorted before leaving the place.

The popular leader thus used the Ceuta crisis to evade an uncomfortable question about Ayuso and turn the work of two reporters into a patriotism test. Collantes was even forced to clarify later, live on 'Mañaneros 360', that he is from Granada and is registered in Madrid.

Cintora reminds Aguirre what happened at Telemadrid

The presenter of 'Mañaneros 360', Jesús Cintora, has responded forcefully from the set. "Mrs. Aguirre, I have a message for you. No hoaxes. In Spain, we care about Ceuta, and at Televisión Española, we care about Ceuta and we talk about Ceuta," he stated.

Cintora recalled the constant accusations of information manipulation that Telemadrid suffered during Aguirre's years at the head of the regional government. "Esperanza Aguirre, with what happened during her government's time at Telemadrid, is in no position to give lessons on public television," he affirmed before reproaching her for pointing out the journalist to avoid answering his question.

The presenter also alluded to the 'Lezo case', whose first trial began this Monday at the Audiencia Nacional, and to the judicial career of former Madrid president Ignacio González, who will be tried in October for another branch of the case. "That is truly shameful. And that is truly caring about Spain," Cintora launched.

Collantes has linked the public targeting of professionals with the climate of hostility suffered by several RTVE teams during the recent demonstrations about Ceuta. "We saw it just a few days ago in those aggressions in the street against journalists, against colleagues who are merely doing our job," he denounced.