‘No kidding!' CNN’s Scott Jennings delivers blunt reality check in rare break with Trump

CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings delivered a blunt reality check to President Donald Trump on Thursday, openly mocking the president’s remarks about the growing Chinese espionage scandal involving Nvidia.

“I did have to chuckle at the president’s comment, though,” Jennings said during a discussion on CNN’s “The Arena,” referring to Trump’s account of former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang denying knowledge that a woman with whom he allegedly had an affair was a suspected Chinese spy.

“Well, no kidding!” Jennings said. “They don't walk up and say I’m a Chinese spy. Would you like to get dinner?”

But Jennings quickly turned to a considerably more alarmed tone.

“These people are the enemy,” he said. “They are our enemy. They are our adversary — economically, geopolitically, militarily.”

The exchange followed remarks from Attorney General Todd Blanche, who dismissed concerns that the Commerce Department may have impeded investigations into restricted American computer chips allegedly reaching China through companies linked to the suspected spy.

Jennings, however, stopped short of blaming Trump directly when pressed about the president allowing Huang aboard Air Force One.

“I don’t think we know enough yet to start casting aspersions on the president,” he said.

CNN correspondent Jamie Gangel subsequently raised questions about the administration’s handling of the reported intelligence warnings, citing conversations with national security experts who routinely brief corporate executives about foreign espionage threats.

She also shared a warning that intelligence officials routinely give executives about how quickly they can become targets of foreign operatives.

“And there is a phrase that they tell CEOs,” she said. “If you leave the U.S. a four, you don’t suddenly land in Moscow or Beijing a 10,” Gangel quipped, drawing laughter from the panel.