CNN’s Scott Jennings Stuns Abby Phillip With Take on Trump Cop Takeover

CNN GOP analyst Scott Jennings stunned anchor Abby Phillip when he responded to polls on President Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C., police takeover by saying he doesn’t care what residents think.

According to a new Washington Post-Schar School poll, an overwhelming 79 percent of D.C. residents oppose Trump’s takeover, and 61 percent say they feel “less safe,” versus only 18 percent who feel “more safe.”

On Wednesday’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Phillip hosted a panel comprised of Jennings, Alencia Johnson, Phil Williams, Adam Mockler, Sheila Kolhatkar, and Donte Mills.

The anchor was visibly stunned when she confronted Jennings about the poll, and he responded, “I don’t care what they think.”:

PHILLIP: At today’s visit illustrates a stark divide between the Trump administration and D.C. residents. As city crime stats show that violence is declining, Trump has said that those numbers are fake. And new polling also now shows roughly eight in ten oppose Trump’s takeover. But Vance, like his boss, is not believing that data either.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: I’m highly skeptical that a majority of D.C. residents don’t want their city to be — to have better public safety and more reasonable safety standards within Washington, D.C.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: So, now it doesn’t matter, Scott Jennings, that voters are not happy with what Trump’s doing, don’t feel safer, all of that.

JENNINGS: I don’t care what they think. I mean, these are the same people who elected the mayor and city council that ran the city’s public safety into the ground in the first place.

PHILLIP: You don’t care what the residents —

JENNINGS: They don’t know what’s good for them.

PHILLIP: You don’t care what the residents of D.C. —

JENNINGS: No, I don’t. I don’t. I do not care one bit. And I’ll tell you something else.

PHILLIP: I feel like I’ve — I do remember just a couple weeks ago you were saying, well, secretly, D.C. residents really want this because they know the crime is so bad. Now, we actually have the numbers that say, will Trump’s federal takeover reduce violent crime? 65 percent say no. Just 20 percent say yes.

Would you — do you feel like the presidents of federal officers makes you feel safer? More safe, 18 percent, less safe, 61 percent.

JENNINGS: Why would they say that? They’re out arresting criminals. They’re arresting illegal aliens. They’re getting illegal guns off the streets. An MS-13 illegal alien was taken out off the streets the other night. They’re obviously safer.

But, you know, there’s another population that cares about public safety in D.C. It’s all the people who visit there. We have people that go there, millions of people from all over the country, they deserve to go to a national capital that’s not in disgrace and despair, and that’s what they’re doing in Washington. So, I don’t really care about what they think, truthfully.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.