CNN’s Abby Phillip Scolds Scott Jennings For Putting Words In Her Mouth: ‘Is That What I Said? No!’
CNN anchor Abby Phillip scolded GOP analyst Scott Jennings for mischaracterizing what she said during an intense discussion of independent agencies during President Donald Trump’s second term.
On Monday night’s edition of CNN NewsNight, the Trump-Elon Musk “chainsaw” approach to government was the hot topic after the duo doubled down on the emails that sparked a revolt at various agencies.
Things took a turn when Jennings claimed independent agencies only act independently when Republicans are in office:
JENNINGS: I think one other point, and this is the push and pull of when a Republican is the president. There’s an attempt, when a Republican’s in the White House, Donald Trump or any other Republican, to argue that these federal agencies, federal workers, the bureaucracy, sort of, can act independently or autonomously from the political leadership of the country.
And that’s what’s happening here. That’s why everyone is melting down. That’s why the lady came on CNN today. They don’t want to answer the email because they don’t want to answer to the president. And the message from Trump and Musk is we have political leaders in this country and you got to answer to them.
PHILLIP: I’m not following you. Are you saying — are you suggesting that it’s only when Republicans are president that agencies express independence?
JENNINGS: Yes.
PHILLIP: Well, you know that that’s not true.
JENNINGS: No. I know that it is 100 percent true that the bureaucracy is not aligned with — mostly not aligned with Republicans,
NAVARRO: There are career civil servants who work after every one president —
(CROSSTALKS)
NAVARRO: And do so for the Constitution and the love of country.
PHILLIP: Hold on a second.
Among Democrats and Republican presidents, there are certain agencies that are statutorily independent from politics. That’s the same whether it’s Republican or Democrat.
JENNINGS: You’re saying that the bureaucracy is responsive to Republican or Trump priorities as Democratic?
PHILLIP: Is that what I said? No, it’s not!
JENNINGS: You’re saying that bias doesn’t exist, and I disagree.
PHILLIP: Okay. Scott, let me just repeat what I said. There are certain agencies, regardless of the president, that are statutorily independent from politics because they deal with things that pertain to the American public and there needs to be continuity, regardless of who the president —
SETMAYER: Federal Reserve.
PHILLIP: The Federal Reserve, the Security and Exchange Commission. There are plenty of agencies that are like that. And —
JENNINGS: But an email doesn’t jeopardize continuity of government.
PHILLIP: And there are many, many at federal employees that are civil servants, meaning that they don’t come in because of partisan politics. That’s there to protect you as a conservative and Tara as a liberal.
JENNINGS: I’m sorry. I think that’s —
PHILLIP: It’s there to protect both of you.
JENNINGS: I hear your debating point. I think it is incredibly naive to believe that there are not civil service bureaucrats who would love nothing more than to thwart this president for four years and wait for a Democrat to take over.
SETMAYER: And why are Republican senators worried about it also then? They’re not liberals.
NAVARRO: I’ll tell you why. Because there’s almost 8 million federal workers in red states. You know, you think that the people working at the border have a bias, pro-Democrats, you think people working for USDA in Miami have a bias for Democrats?
JENNINGS: Answer the email. Answer the email.
PHILLIP: All right.
SETMAYER: And let malign actors, you know, and national security risk —
NAVARRO: It’s not the president.
PHILLIP: Ana and Scott, we’ll continue this conversation many a times, I’m sure.
Watch above via CNN NewsNight.
