The influential conservative website RedState fired a handful of prominent writers on Friday in a move that appeared motivated, at least in part, by purging the outlet of anti-Trump voices. The Daily Beast confirmed that among those laid off by RedState and its parent company Townhall Media were top editors and writers Caleb Howe, Jay Caruso, Ben Howe, Patrick Frey (who writes under the pseudonym Patterico), Neil Stevens, and Susan Wright—all of whom are often critical of the president. Fired staffers learned about their dismissal either through their email accounts being locked or via a memo from Townhall general manager and vice president Jonathan Garthwaite. “Unfortunately, we have reached the conclusion that we can no longer support the entire current roster of writers.” 
 
 RedState was founded in 2004, and soon after conservative pundit Erick Erickson was hired as its editor in chief. Unless you’re causing those tears to flow you aren’t being a team player.” 
 
 Garthwaite and Townhall Media did not respond to The Daily Beast’s requests for comment. Wright makes “significantly less” than other, more pro-Trump writers who remain with the site and generate less traffic, a source noted to The Daily Beast. As CNN noted on Friday, their parent company, Salem Media Group—which also owns radio networks and book publishers—has previously been criticized for its treatment of radio hosts who criticized Trump during the election. One of those staffers was Ben Howe, who has been one of the right’s most vocal Trump critics.
– The prominent conservative site RedState is now poised to have a decidedly pro-Trump vibe. Parent company Salem Media on Friday purged a slew of bloggers in a "mass firing," and many of those who lost their jobs were critics of President Trump, reports CNN media writer Brian Stelter. Former editor Erick Erickson, now at the Resurgent, writes that it's not a huge surprise given that Salem similarly got rid of many anti-Trump voices at its radio properties. Both stories point out that the move wasn't entirely political. Salem wanted to cut costs; it's just that those who bore the brunt of the cuts were generally critical of the president. "They fired everybody who was insufficiently supportive of Trump," one source tells CNN. The Daily Beast lists some of those fired writers as Caleb Howe, Jay Caruso, Ben Howe, Patrick Frey (who writes as Patterico), Neil Stevens, and Susan Wright. Caleb Howe, for one, sounded ticked about Friday's events. "There is a right way to do something and a f---ed up way," he tweeted.