CNN’s Scott Jennings Blurts ‘Cheer for America!’ When Ashley Allison Accuses Trump of Lying

CNN GOP analyst Scott Jennings blurted out “Cheer for America!” when fellow panelist Ashley Allison accused President Donald Trump of lying about the war with Iran.

Trump issued an ultimatum giving Iran 48 hours to “FULLY OPEN” the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday or he would destroy energy targets, but then backed off on that threat when the deadline approached, claiming “talks” with Iran prompted him to extend the deadline five more days.

Iranian state media denied there were any talks, and claimed that he invented them to back off the threat while saving face. One Wall Street Journal editor lamented that Trump’s word is no more reliable than that of notorious propagandist Baghdad Bob.

On Monday’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Jennings began a response to guest host Kasie Hunt by claiming “the reason that they’re saying there are no talks while the president is saying there are is because they lie all the time.”

Allison echoed the criticism of Trump that “we don’t know if our president is also telling the truth,” prompting Jennings to interrupt several times and demand she “Cheer for America!”:

SCOTT JENNINGS: I mean, it would be fine with me if we continue to bomb them. These are the worst people in the world. They’ve been at war with us for 47 years. They want nuclear weapons. By the way, the reason that they’re saying there are no talks while the president is saying there are is because they lie all the time.

They sent their people out in February to say, oh, we would never have long-range missiles. We have no plans. And then what did we find out this weekend? They got 4,000-kilometer range missiles that can reach most of Europe.

They lie all the time. That’s what the Iranians do. They’re terrorists. They hate us. We’re the great Satan. Israel’s the little Satan. We can wipe them off the face of the Earth and we’ll be fine with me. But if the president achieves no nuclear weapons, no ballistic missile program, and an end to the largest state sponsor of terror on the face of the Earth, that’ll be a good outcome.

So, I hope he gets it. I’m glad he is working towards a diplomatic solution. They say he might be talking to this speaker of the Iranian parliament. I don’t know how it works over there now, because we killed so many of their top guys, maybe the left hand doesn’t know who the right hand is talking to.

ASHLEY ALLISON: I agree with you. The leaders of the Iranian regime, they lie. I think the problem is we don’t know if our president is also telling the truth. And so it feels like there are two bad actors in this case, and I am confused. I really don’t know. I want my president to be honest.

JENNINGS: You’re equating the American president to the Iranian regime?

ALLISON: No, that’s not what I did. And you know —

JENNINGS: You said two bad actors.

ALLISON: But two bad actors don’t have to be the exact same type of bad actors. One is a little bad, one is a little worse. I don’t know.

JENNIGNS: Cheer for America!

ALLISON: I am cheering for America. But America can only win if we’re honest. And I don’t know if our president is being honest with us because they haven’t been honest since the beginning of this war. They didn’t tell —

JENNINGS: About what?

ALLISON: About what they actually want. Now it’s just nukes. Before I thought it was regime change. Aren’t they talking to him?

JENNINGS: They said repeatedly. He said terrorism.

ALLISON: Nope. He said — nope. He said the Israeli government didn’t tell him they were going to strike the liquid gas reserve. Then they say it is. It’s just every day it’s something else.

So, I’m allowed to be skeptical of the truth.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!