Stunned Abby Phillip Rolls Eyes At New Scott Jennings Trump Defense

CNN anchor Abby Phillip was stunned by GOP analyst Scott Jennings’ newest defense of President Donald Trump — his idea of shipping U.S. citizens to El Salvador from American prisons.

Trump made a lot of news when he emerged into the press cabin aboard Air Force One to face questions from reporters, including one exchange in which he endorsed the idea of deporting American citizens from federal prisons to El Salvador:

Well, I love that. If we could take some of our 20-time prize guys and push people into subways and then hit people over the back of the head and then purposely run people over in cars, if you would take them, I’d be honored to give — if they can house these horrible criminals for a lot less money than it costs us, I’m all for it.

On Monday’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Jennings defended the plan on the basis that Trump disclaimed it by saying, “I would only do according to the law.”

Phillip and her panelists — Rachel Lindsay, Elizabeth Pipko, and Donte Mills — were aghast:

PHILLIP: Well, I wonder —

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: Hey, hey, I wonder who gets to determine what the law is because this administration seems to think the courts don’t – like he does.

JENNINGS: Well, it sounds like if somebody got convicted of a violent crime that he just described —

(CROSSTALK)

JENNINGS: –could be sent to prison.

PHILLIP: So, you’re saying what’s — what’s wrong with sending Americans to a prison in El Salvador?

JENNINGS: I’m saying —

PHILLIP: Is that what you’re saying?

JENNINGS: I’m saying what’s wrong with sending people who are convicted of violent crimes to prison, period?

PHILLIP: No, no. That’s what he said. He said he’s going to send them to a prison.

JENNINGS: Yeah. So?

PHILLIP: The vice president called it a gulag in El Salvador. Is that okay with you?

JENNINGS: If you — if you are convicted of a violent crime in this country and a court finds you guilty of whatever, those things he just listed, and it’s — and it’s okay by the law, which he said at the end of his answer, I mean —

PHILLIP: How is it okay by the law to extradite Americans to a foreign country for crimes they committed here?

JENNINGS: Well, I mean, I think what he’s saying is it’s okay I mean, I think what he’s saying is if it’s okay by the law to put someone in prison, then they’re going to do it. But —

PHILLIP: Okay, but — I know, Scott. But —

JENNINGS: But he said if it’s okay by the law, I don’t know if it is or not, but that’s what he’s saying.

LINDSAY: But you don’t know. You just said it.

PHILLIP: All right. Well —

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: All right, everybody. Listen.

(CROSSTALK)

JENNINGS: I know — I know you want all the illegals —

UNKNOWN: I’m just going to —

JENNINGS: — all the violence out of jail. I know that.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIP: Listen, I’m just going to — I’m just going to leave that right there because the idea that you can just take an American, even if they’re in jail, and just send them to a foreign country and say bye bye is not a thing that has happened in this country.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.