CNN’s Jennings and Axelrod Spar Over Biden Withholding Israel Aid is the Same As Trump’s Ukraine Aid Impeachment

 

Things got a little tense on Wednesday night’s makeshift outdoor set of Outfront with Erin Burnett, and it’s not because the panelists were forced to sit remarkably close to one another.

At issue? President Joe Biden’s controversial comments to Erin Burnett Wednesday, in which he threatened to withhold military aid to Israel if they were to invade the town of Rafah in search of Hamas terrorists responsible for the atrocities of October 7th.

Longtime Republican strategist Scott Jennings opened by saying, “Republicans in Congress are going to be livid.” He then directly compared Biden’s threat to withhold military aid to an ally to former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment after he called Ukrainian President Volydymr Zelenksy asking for political dirt on Biden in exchange for congressionally approved military aid.

“This is congressionally authorized military aid to our ally, and he is withholding it for political purposes,” Jennings concluded, to which longtime Democratic strategist David Axelrod could not abide, saying, “The analogy just doesn’t hold.”

Scott Jennings: Republicans in Congress are going to be livid about this issue….

David Axelrod:  They think they have a good issue. Well, I get it. I think they think that, you know, at least the president of the United States, they’re just politicians trying to take advantage of the situation. 

Scott Jennings: I think they support our ally. And maybe he doesn’t. They’re going to recall a time when we impeached the president of the United States, for withholding military aid authorized by Congress from Ukraine, $400 million. That was the basis of the impeachment. This is congressionally authorized military aid to our ally, and he is withholding it for political purposes.

David Axelrod:  So, wait, one second, I’m sorry, it’s your show. The basis of that impeachment was that the president of the United States called, the president of Ukraine, and he said, ‘I need. I want you to do me a favor, an open investigation on the person who I think may be my opponent in the next election.’ That was the basis of the impeachment.

Scott Jennings:  And he wants Israel to stand down on Raffa because his base is mad at him. What’s I mean, it’s a political reason.

David Axelrod:  Scott, the analogy just doesn’t hold.

Watch above via CNN.

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Colby Hall is the Founding Editor of Mediaite.com. He is also a Peabody Award-winning television producer of non-fiction narrative programming as well as a terrific dancer and preparer of grilled meats.