All posts tagged "scott jennings"

'You can just smell the fear!' CNN analyst comes unglued at GOP pundit over Paxton's win

A CNN analyst laughed off attacks on a Texas Democrat's chances of winning a Senate seat.

Pundit Paul Begala sniffed the air as CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings listed off the problems with Rep. James Talarico (D-TX), who will challenge Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for a Senate seat in November.

"You know what I'm smelling, Scott?" Begala said, as Jennings blasted Talarico's views on transgender identity, theology, and eating meat.

Jennings's attack on Talarico's chances in Texas irked Begala, who became stirred in his seat. Begala could smell "fear, panic, your stinking panic," he told Jennings.

"You guys fear this guy," Begala said about Talarico. "He's more popular than Trump in Texas, brother!"

Jennings demanded of Begala, "Can you explain his position?"

"You know what I'm not for?" Begala said. "I'm not for $6.89 hamburgers, okay? James actually eats beef, but he can afford to. Most Texans can't anymore."

Begala accused Paxton of becoming "a millionaire" despite having "a government salary."

"How does that happen?" Begala demanded. "He can afford a hamburger. This is what it's going to be about. You want it to be about woke. I want it to be about broke."

Jennings tried to ask Begala, "Are you a normal person?"

Begala repeated, "I can smell the fear," while waving his hands in the air as if to soak in the aroma.

Former anchor leans on CNN to dump 'blowhard' Scott Jennings over menacing outburst

An obscene live TV outburst by CNN pundit Scott Jennings on Thursday night has led former CNN anchor Jim Acosta to call for the network to tear up the conservative pundit’s contract.

CNN host Abby Phillip had to jump in and calm the waters after Jennings got into it with liberal pundit Adam Mockler as he leaned in and blurted, “Get your f------ hand out of my face!" during a discussion about the Iran War.

Jennings' menacing manner evoked an immediate reaction from the “NewsNight” panel as well as a response from Acosta on Substack on Friday morning.

Comparing the language Jennings used to the fictional Ron Burgundy in the film “Anchorman,” which got Burgundy fired, Acosta claimed Jennings deserves the same fate in real life, stating that at any other network it would be a ‘fireable offense.”

Calling Jennings a “blowhard,” he recalled, “Jennings was a bit of a hot-head when I worked at CNN. I recall his glaring at me following one segment when I fact-checked him in real time. But wow, what happened Thursday night was next level. Mockler really got his goat.”

He said that the CNN conservative should be immediately fired.

"Of course, with the Ellisons now gobbling up Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company of CNN, the new management that is likely to take over the 24-hour cable news station could simply rehire Jennings if, in the unlikely event, he is tossed overboard," Acosta added. "Make no mistake, the Ellisons, and their hand-picked executive now running CBS News and possibly CNN, Bari Weiss, would certainly relish the opportunity to rehire Jennings."

The latest Jennings controversy comes after similar complaints about the leeway the conservative has been given at the network, with CNN regular Julie Roginsky recently calling him out.

"He blathers. He talks over women with particular frequency, interrupts relentlessly, and treats panel discussions as contests of volume and obstinacy, rather than as exchanges of ideas," Roginsky said. "He mugs to the camera and rolls his eyes, while calling any fact he does not like a lie. It is performative obstruction — the cable news equivalent of flipping the board when you’re losing the game."

'He's a moron!' CNN conservative fumes after ex-Fox News host apologizes for Trump support

MAGA commentator Scott Jennings had a stinging response to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson's comments that he was regretful for supporting President Donald Trump.

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt asked Jennings to comment on Carlson's remarks that he would be "tormented" by his decisions to endorse Trump, which led to a heated exchange between the two during the live broadcast. Carlson had issued a public apology Monday for having supported Trump in the 2024 election, telling his millions of followers that he was “sorry for misleading people.”

Jennings shared his thoughts on the move.

"I mean, is his preference that Kamala Harris had become the president of the United States?" an indignant Jennings asked. "That will come as a surprise to, I'm sure, a lot of people who used to view Tucker Carlson as a conservative and someone who, you know, had certain kinds of values. And what's he sorry for? That we got a new engagement here that might ultimately lead to taking away nuclear weapons?"

Hunt pushed back on Jennings' characterization of the war.

"We got into engagement, Scott? That is quite a way to put it," Hunt said. "We started a war with Iran."

"Is he now claiming he had no idea that Donald Trump held the position that he would never permit Iran to have nuclear weapons, if that's what he's saying today?" Jennings asked.

"He's kind of a moron," Jennings added. "I mean, I don't know how else to put it, or he's willfully misleading people. The president was clear he'll never let them have nuclear weapons. We just saw on '60 Minutes' on Sunday night, a broad agreement among the experts. They have 970 pounds of enriched uranium, enough to make 10 or 11 nuclear bombs. This is not acceptable to the president. He had that position back in 2024. He had that position back in the first term. He has that position today to say now that you're sorry, that you elected a president that wanted to take away nuclear weapons from this terrorist regime. I don't get it."

MAGA commentator gets testy on CNN over White House ballroom: 'Are you really that mad?'

Conservative pundit Scott Jennings got fired up during a live CNN panel discussing a judge's decision to force construction to immediately stop on President Donald Trump's long-imagined ballroom.

Jennings was reacting to a decision from U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon, who blocked Trump from further construction of his White House ballroom project. In a three-page order on Tuesday, Leon granted a preliminary injunction requested by the National Trust for Historic Preservation of the United States to pause construction on the building without congressional authorization.

"Are you guys really that mad about the ballroom?" Jennings asked the group of analysts. "I mean, honestly, there's a giant hole in the ground. Now, what are we going to do? Just leave it there? When you get the government involved in building stuff, ask the people in California what happens when the government gets involved in building stuff. You don't build anything. There's a big hole. I agree..."

Anchor Abby Phillip interrupted Jennings and suggested Trump's move to knock down the White House's historic East Wing might have had repercussions.

"This is like saying 'we burned down the house. So what are we going to do? Yeah, I guess we have to rebuild it,'" Phillip said.

But Jennings didn't agree, pushing his point again.

"Tone deaf? He's building out of private contributions; there's no tax money involved," Jennings said.

Phillip stepped in again to push back on Jennings.

"I think it's fair for Americans to be upset about tearing down the East Wing," Phillip said.

Strategist and commentator Ana Navarro voiced her concerns over the ongoing project and how Americans were struggling amid a rocky economy, as the administration has not addressed their hardships.

"I think it has tremendous historical value that nobody even bothered to save anywhere," Navarro said. "I am p---ed at what he's done to Jackie Kennedy's garden — is it the thing I'm most p---ed off about? No, I care a lot more about the people that have gotten killed in the streets of Minneapolis, but I think it's pretty outrageous that he is acting like a king."

Jennings appeared to be frustrated by the conversation and got fired up trying to talk over the other panelists.

"Should they leave it? We leave a hole in the ground," Jennings said.

Uprising erupts at CNN against MAGA commentator Scott Jennings: report

An uprising against MAGA pundit Scott Jennings is underway behind the scenes at CNN, according to a report Friday.

CNN CEO Mark Thompson was apparently trying to "calm nerves inside the network during an all-hands meeting" on Wednesday after he was pressed on questions over why Jennings was not held to the same editorial standards as the rest of the staff, Status reported.

He has had several public spats on-air with fellow commentators, including a Jan. 19 clash with Cameron Kasky, a fellow panelist and Parkland High School shooting survivor. Kasky called Jennings out for using the term "illegal aliens," which goes against the network's editorial standards, according to Status.

Jennings responded to Kasky's comments during the back and forth.

“Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t say? I’ve never met you, brother. I can say whatever I want,” Jennings said. “They’re illegal aliens. And that’s what the law calls them. Illegal aliens. That’s what I’m going to call them.”

Thompson reportedly told the staff members that contributors are not held to the same editorial standards as the network's journalists.

Frequent CNN analyst Julie Roginsky this month unloaded on the network for allowing Jennings to be rude to his opponents while engaging in bad-faith arguments during his appearances. She noted his abusive treatment of women without penalty has given rise to a belief among some outside female analysts that they have been blackballed for criticizing him.

On her Substack, Roginsky wrote that she likely will be “banned from CNN’s airwaves” for going public and making her case against Jennings, whom she called an “insecure little boy.”

She argued that it's not Jennings' political ties that are the problem — but instead his conduct.

“The problem is how he behaves, what he contributes, and what his presence signals about what CNN now tolerates,” Roginsky wrote.

MAGA commentator Scott Jennings scolded into silence on CNN

CNN commentators Scott Jennings and Kate Bedingfield clashed Friday during a live broadcast, stunning the controversial pundit into silence.

Bedingfield, former Biden White House communications director, and Jennings were part of a panel discussing the aggressive tactics employed by ICE agents in Minnesota when Jennings tried to defend the Trump administration's actions — saying people were not understanding President Donald Trump's messaging — when Bedingfield questioned his response. Both tried to comment on the scrutiny the administration has faced in a fiery back-and-forth.

"Can I, can I just say, trying to tell people that the images that they're seeing on camera is a wall of propaganda is not a winning strategy. People can see with their own eyes ICE," Bedingfield said.

That's when Jennings cut in.

"You're saying images are used for propaganda. ICE engages every day..." Jennings said.

Bedingfield responded again, emphasizing her point.

"We've all seen the footage of the ICE agent shooting the mother in the head two weeks ago. That is the backdrop behind which people are filtering in information," she said.

But Jennings tried to deny the video and images of ICE agent Jonathan Ross in the incident.

"We saw her hit him with the car as well. Actually," he said.

Bedingfield then pushed back on Jennings' claim.

"Actually, we did not," she responded.

"If you watched, if you watched the video," he said, trying to say that Bedingfield "can't even admit" that Ross was hit by Good with her car, which has been called into question.

"Scott Jennings, will you let me finish my sentence? I'll let you finish yours," Bedingfield fired back.

That's when the conversation went silent for a moment — and Bedingfield continued.

"You also had, after that event, you had the vice president of the United States go out and fully embrace the actions of the ICE agent," she said. "So I would argue if anybody is eroding the credibility of ICE, it's the Trump administration by throwing their arms around every single..."

Jennings again interjected and tried to argue that the people protesting should cooperate with law enforcement.

"Why won't they cooperate?" Jennings said.

And Bedingfield pushed back again.

"Every single errant and awful action that we're seeing from these people. So again, I think, you know, for Trump to say that his message is being lost when he and his administration are encouraging ICE to behave in a way that is clearly outside of the existing rules of engagement, is is absolutely ludicrous," Bedingfield said.

CNN conservative ripped for blaming ICE shooting on Democrats: 'No humanity whatsoever'

CNN's Scott Jennings faced pushback for blaming "Democratic rhetoric" for the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

A federal immigration agent fired three shots into a vehicle during a raid, killing 37-year-old driver Renee Good, who President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused of being a domestic terrorist who was attempting to harm the agent, and Jennings told "CNN News Central" those remarks immediately in the aftermath were not necessary.

"Probably not, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't go out and defend the ICE agent," Jennings said. "It doesn't mean that I wouldn't expect DHS to defend their agents who are routinely under attack around the country. We've seen hundreds of car incidents in ICE operations around the country. The correct question to be asking, I think, today is why was this incident occurring in the first place? Why is there a convoy of vehicles, according to several witnesses, attempting to impede a perfectly legitimate federal law enforcement situation? So I think arguing about the rhetoric perfectly fine to me."

Jennings argued the shooting was incited by criticism of the administration's immigration crackdown by Democratic officials.

"I want to get to the root cause of why there is a group of people in this country who believe it is their responsibility to drive convoys of vehicles into perfectly legitimate federal law enforcement situations," Jennings said. "I think some of this goes back to, frankly, Democratic rhetoric, because that's what they've been instructed to do by the Democrats who are demonizing these ICE agents."

Democratic strategist Matt Bennett strongly disagreed.

"No, the right question is why the president of the United States and the secretary of Homeland Security have labeled a mother of three who was trying to comply with law enforcement instructions, trying to get out of the way – she was steering to the right as she was leaving – a domestic terrorist with no evidence whatsoever," Bennett said, "and that is the rhetoric that is the most problematic. It's the president of the United States that sets the tone, and he's responding to this horrible tragedy, the death of a mother of three with no humanity whatsoever."

"This woman may have been, you know, parked in the wrong place," Bennett added. "She might have been not following law enforcement instructions, but that is not a death penalty offense in the United States, and moreover, she and others are perfectly within their rights to exercise their First Amendment rights to talk about whether or not ICE should be flooding 2,000 agents on the streets of Minneapolis when the people of that city and that state don't want them there. So the most important rhetoric here is from the president."

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Trump's favorite CNN pundit gets shut down in exchange over White House ballroom

One of President Donald Trump's most consistent defenders on CNN was recently confronted over his celebration of Trump's bulldozing of the East Wing of the White House.

During the Friday episode of CNN host Kaitlan Collins' show "The Source," Collins discussed the lawsuit filed by a nonprofit group seeking to halt construction of Trump's proposed new $300 million ballroom. The National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States alleged that the Trump administration illegally shut the public out of the process typically afforded to them when historic buildings undergo significant renovations.

"President Trump’s efforts to do so should be immediately halted, and work on the Ballroom Project should be paused until the Defendants complete the required reviews—reviews that should have taken place before the Defendants demolished the East Wing, and before they began construction of the Ballroom — and secure the necessary approvals," the lawsuit read.

In the panel discussion featuring legal analyst Elie Honig, former Obama administration official Van Jones and pro-Trump pundit Scott Jennings, (who joined Trump onstage at a 2024 campaign rally) the conservative commentator quipped that the group suing Trump over the destruction of the East Wing should feel free to "come over to the White House and pick through the rubble and try to rebuild it," and asserted that "before [Trump] leaves office, that [ballroom] is going to be sitting there legally and procedurally."

"I don't know how it's all going to play out. The man intends to build a ballroom, and I don't know what everybody has against it," Jennings said. "The existing structure was not big enough for what the president needs to do ... When he had his inaugural in the extreme cold in January, they had to do it in the [U.S. Capitol] rotunda! They could have easily done that in something like this. This is a positive thing that he is trying to do for the White House. So how's the paperwork going to go? I don't know, but I promise you they'll be a ballroom sitting there when he leaves office."

At that point, Van Jones interjected and told Jennings that regardless of how much he supports the ballroom, presidents aren't allowed to disregard rules they dislike.

"What we often hear from our Republican friends is, 'I like the outcome, so the process doesn't matter.' That's what happens in an authoritarian country. That's what happens with a dictatorship," Jones said. "It turns out the process does matter in a democracy, rules matter."

"And what if you want to make America great again? How did America get great in the first place? Rule of law. Free markets. Everybody welcome, if you follow the rules. If you have a lawless country, meaning the executive branch does whatever it wants to, you're on the path to being a banana republic," he added. "So ... maybe this big golden ball thing with golden toilets, I have no idea what he's doing. Maybe people will like it, but if it's that great, why not follow the follow the rules?"

Watch the segment below:

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'Offensive': GOP insider Scott Jennings sees his old anti-Trump complaint used against him

GOP strategist Scott Jennings erupted on Wednesday night after a panelist on CNN noted something unsavory about the president's latest move.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump deployed more than 1,000 federal troops to Washington, D.C., to address local crime. He described the move as "Liberation Day" and said the military officers were going to "take our capital back." That is despite federal data showing that crime in the city is at a 30-year low.

During CNN's "NewsNight with Abby Phillip," Democrat strategist Julie Roginsky recalled another time when there was a lot of crime in DC. She also noted that Trump chose not to deploy federal troops back then.

"I guess I'm old enough, Scott, to remember when you were appalled, as the rest of us were, on January 6 when he wouldn't..." Roginsky said before Jennings cut her off.

"So, because January 6 happened, we shouldn't enforce the law today?" Jennings shot back. "You want murders today?"

Roginsky, Jennings, panelist Jillian Michaels, and host Abby Phillip then began shouting over one another.

"It's a silly argument!" Jennings shouted.

"Just let her finish, Scott," Phillip said. "We haven't even heard the argument yet."

"She keeps taking pop shots at me, and I'm not going to allow it!" Jennings said. "It's a stupid argument, and I'm not going to allow it."

After the argument subsided, Roginsky said Trump could have deployed the National Guard on January 6, but chose not to.

"We all know that he's doing this because it's a power grab," Roginsky said. "He could have done it when this district was actually in danger on January 6, but he didn't. And I think that is what is so offensive."

"He talks about backing the blue or backing law enforcement, but he doesn't give a d----," Roginsky added.

Watch the entire clip below or by clicking here.

'Don't interrupt me': CNN conservative Scott Jennings admonished by fellow strategist

CNN's Scott Jennings got a scolding when he interrupted a Democratic strategist discussing Thursday's Supreme Court arguments on Donald Trump's desire to do away with automatic birthright citizenship.

"This is what I don't get," Lis Smith began on Thursday's "The Arena" with Kasie Hunt. "It is pretty crystal clear in the Constitution, if you're born here, you get citizenship. And, why is Donald Trump picking this fight? Only 25% of voters support getting rid of birthright citizenship; less than 50% of Republicans do. And, you know, I'm not in the business of giving Donald Trump advice."

She continued, "Scott you could call up the president and give him some really good advice and say, 'Hey, you know, that comprehensive immigration bill that you helped tank last year?"

EXCLUSIVE: Breastfeeding mom of US citizen sues Kristi Noem after being grabbed by ICE

"Are you still on that?" Jennings interrupted. "Even though you lost the election over it."

"Scott, let me talk. Don't interrupt me," Smith admonished. " But, you could take that bill — you now control the White House, the House and the Senate — and pass it. Presidents from both parties for decades have been trying to get this through. He could be a historic president by doing that. Instead, he's taking on a fight like birthright citizenship, which is a loser for them, will not go through. And I think that this is why, you know, people are turning against Trump on an issue that was one of his strongest against Democrats in November."

"I'll just briefly answer," Jennings retorted. "We didn't need the bill; we just needed a new president, as Donald Trump has argued. He changed executive branch policy, and has effectively closed the southern border. And now he's taking executive action to get rid of the violent people who were here. We don't need legislation. We just need the executive branch to be able to do what's clearly enumerated them to do in the Constitution.

Watch the clip below via CNN.