CNN Panel Spirals After Scott Jennings Blames the Left’s Rhetoric for Anti-ICE ‘Vigilantes’

CNN’s NewsNight panel descended into a heated confrontation after conservative commentator Scott Jennings argued that Democratic anti-ICE rhetoric helped fuel violence against the agency, prompting a fierce rebuttal from former Clinton White House aide Keith Boykin, who instead pointed to President Donald Trump’s rhetoric.

The clash unfolded as the panel discussed comments from White House Border Czar Tom Homan following an incident in which a man allegedly threw an incendiary device at a federal building that houses ICE offices in New York City.

Jennings backed Homan’s assessment that the attack reflected a wider pattern of violence directed at federal immigration officers.

“Of course I agree with Homan, and it’s not a single guy,” Jennings said, claiming there had been “a massive spike in violence against ICE agents” and accusing elected Democrats of using inflammatory language.

“It’s despicable. These people are effectively political vigilantes. They’ve been programmed by the left to go out and take matters into their own hands, and it ought to be stopped right now,” he said, also criticizing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in particular for condemning the attack after previously using what Jennings described as “anti-law enforcement” rhetoric.

Host Fredericka Whitfield pushed back, asking whether public anger over ICE operations, rather than Democratic messaging alone, could be driving such incidents.

“So if you believe that a government agency is doing something that you don’t like, and your choices are A, cast a vote, B, use your words or C, go set off an incendiary device at the federal building in New York City, and you pick C, there’s no justification for this!” Jennings replied. “There’s no rationalization of it in this. It’s patently ridiculous that that is what anybody’s now arguing.”

Boykin interjected: “Let’s take Scott’s scenario. If you believe a government agency is doing something wrong, do you use your vote? Do you use your words or do you resort to violence? And one very clear example, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, implicitly encouraged people to resort to violence; that was the January 6th insurrection.”

“This guy, Donald Trump, is responsible for some of the worst, most incendiary, most politically violent rhetoric in our country,” Boykin said. “Violence, political violence is wrong whether it’s left or right.”

He added that he did not know “any president on the Democratic side in my lifetime who has ever encouraged political violence” and argued the country had “passed the point of no return with Donald Trump.”

Jennings steered his co-panelist back to the New York incident, repeatedly asking Boykin, “Do you have any comment on the actual news story?”

“I just said I condemn political violence in all situations,” Boykin replied. “What you did is you took this situation and you agreed with Tom Homan’s talking point that somehow this is a Democratic case. But the reality is the studies have shown that in the past decade or so, 112 right-wing murders have taken place, only 13 have taken place from the left.”

“So you don’t have any comment on this?” Jennings quipped.

“No, I just – what else is there to say except I condemn it? Scott, do you want me to say more than that?” Boykin said.

“Yeah,” returned Jennings.

Boykin, growing irate, continued: “What else? You haven’t said yet – what did you say about Donald Trump in the January 6th insurrection? The fact that he pardons people, the fact, the fact that he actually tried to create a $1.8 billion fund to support those people.”

“Hang on, I’m long on the record about political violence,” Jennings protested.

“How about condemning Donald Trump?” Boykin ripped, just as the host interjected to end the joust.

Watch above via CNN.

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