Mike Bloomberg unloads on Wolf Blitzer over FAA flight ban: 'Don't be ridiculous'

Mike Bloomberg unloads on Wolf Blitzer over FAA flight ban: &#039;Don&#039;t be ridiculous&#039;

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday took offense to a CNN question about a potential political motive behind the Federal Aviation Administration's ban on U.S. airlines flying to and from Tel Aviv, calling the inquiry "insulting to America."

Bloomberg thumbed his nose at the FAA and flew into Israel anyway, where CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked him if there were perhaps "political reasons" behind the ban. (Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday made that charge, accusing the Obama administration of launching an "economic boycott" on Israel via the ban.)

"Why would you think that, Wolf?" Bloomberg responded.

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"Don't be ridiculous. Why would you think that?" he continued. "That's an outrage for you to accuse one of our agencies — by asking the question you're implying that our government does things for political reasons. I have personally taken offense," he said. Watch the exchange below. --Jon Terbush

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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.