Scott Jennings, a conservative commentator for CNN, is going through harsh criticism over his response to remarks from former President Donald Trump, who repeated a racist lie about Haitian immigrants throughout Tuesday’s presidential debate.
Throughout an appearance on a segment of “NewsNight with Abby Phillip,” Republican commentator Ana Navarro requested Jennings whether or not he thought Trump sharing debunked claims that Haitian immigrants have been consuming the pets of people that dwell in Springfield, Ohio was rooted in racism.
“He was amplifying a conspiracy concept that, I feel you’d agree, places a goal on the backs of Haitian immigrants, and that it’s based mostly on racism. Would you agree on that?” Navarro requested.
Jennings met her query with momentary silence.
“Do you suppose that if there have been 20,000 Scandinavians that had been despatched to Springfield, folks could be saying that they’re consuming cats and canines and geese?” Navarro pressed additional.
“I’m not going to reply for [Trump], for his memes, or for the rest,” Jennings responded, earlier than he and Navarro engaged in a back-and-forth.
Host Phillip identified to Jennings that that was a “lengthy pause” earlier than responding to Navarro’s query, to which the conservative pundit mentioned: “As a result of I don’t know the reply.”
“I’m not going to take a seat right here and reply for anyone,” he continued. “I don’t speak to Donald Trump about what the motivations are.”
“And I don’t reply to you both,” he added, taking a look at Navarro.
Jennings then insisted that conversations surrounding immigration this election ought to deal with how immigration impacts communities as a complete.
Navarro argued that the subject of false claims surrounding Haitians consuming pets was solely being addressed as a result of these lies had been boosted by Trump and his working mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).
“In Springfield, they’re consuming the canines. The folks that got here in, they’re consuming the cats. They’re consuming the pets of the folks that dwell there,” Trump mentioned through the ABC Information debate. “And that is what’s taking place in our nation. And it’s a disgrace.”
Vance unfold the rumor about Haitian immigrants on X, previously Twitter, the day previous to the controversy. It has since been debunked by metropolis officers and native police.
The Haitian inhabitants in Springfield has grown through the years. Haitian immigrants are current in the neighborhood legally, in accordance with the town.
Elsewhere within the “NewsNight” phase, Navarro warned that Trump’s lie about Haitians and related rhetoric can put lives in danger.
“It might be humorous to some folks. … It’s additionally extremely racist and extremely harmful,” she mentioned, earlier than referencing a 2019 mass taking pictures in El Paso, Texas. “I keep in mind when a whack job, triggered by issues that had been mentioned in opposition to Latinos, took a gun and went and hunted down Latinos in an El Paso Walmart.”
Navarro shared a clip from the phase in an Instagram post on Thursday, captioning it: “When silence speaks louder than phrases…”
Try extra responses criticizing Jennings’ Wednesday look on “NewsNight”:
