卡弗蒂在2008年4月9日的新聞評論節目《The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer（英语：The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer）》發表了一番針對中國的言論：「我们和他们积累数以千亿元的贸易逆差，因为我们不断输入他们含铅的垃圾产品和有毒宠物食品，又将工作转移到你可以给工人一美元月薪的地方。这样就可以制造我们在沃尔玛买到的东西。所以我認為我們和中國的關係大有改變，50年以來，他们都是同一批暴民和惡棍[1]。（这句话被部分媒体翻译为“
过去50年里中国人基本上是暴民和匪徒”）[2]」引起部分華人的抗議，中華人民共和國外交部發言人姜瑜在4月14日的例行記者會称對有關言論震驚及強烈譴責，要求CNN及卡弗蒂提收回有關言論，並向全體中國人民道歉[3]。对此，CNN于4月16日發表聲明說其評論無意傷害中國人民，卡弗蒂所称的「一群无赖和暴徒」指的是中国政府，而非中国人民。[4]4月19日，数千华人在洛杉矶的CNN大楼门前集会抗议卡弗蒂以及CNN对中国的报导及评论。同日，在亚特兰大的CNN总部门前也有较小规模的抗议。[5][6][7]
注釋
^原文為：Well, I don't know if China is any different, but our relationship with China is certainly different. We're in hock to the Chinese up to our eyeballs because of the war in Iraq, for one thing. They're holding hundreds of billions of dollars worth of our paper. We also are running hundred of billions of dollars worth of trade deficits with them, as we continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food, and export, you know, jobs to places where you can pay workers a dollar a month to turn out the stuff that we're buying from Wal-Mart. So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed. I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years
美國伊利諾州芝加哥
