CNN’s Scott Jennings Gets Schooled by Anchor on Super-Basic Governing Fact

CNN anchor Abby Phillip schooled GOP analyst Scott Jennings about a basic grammar-school fact during a debate about President Donald Trump’s “war” rationale for actions to deport individuals while skirting due process.

On Thursday night’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Phillip and a panel comprised of Jennings, Xochitl Hinojosa, Batya Ungar-Sargon, Donte Mills, and Van Lathan discussed Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act.

When Jennings asserted that “we are at war” with suspected gang members, Phillip popped a Schoolhouse Rock-style quiz on him:

JENNINGS: These individual judges are overstepping. If what you’re essentially saying is that the president, who is the commander-in- chief, cannot determine when we are being invaded, an individual district court judge is going to decide that? No, thank you.

PHILLIP: Can I just ask a simple question? Who gets to decide whether the United States is at war or not?

JENNINGS: The president, in my opinion.

PHILLIP: No.

JENNINGS: If we’re being invaded, I want the commander-in-chief in that —

PHILLIP: Scott, no. It’s actually the Congress.

JENNINGS: You’re asking if we’re being invaded.

PHILLIP: I’m asking —

JENNINGS: You want to call Congress and see if we’re being invaded?

PHILLIP: I’m asking a basic constitutional question.

JENNINGS: We’ll be taken over before they ever get to the committee.

PHILLIP: (INAUDIBLE) will decide whether the United States is at war, the answer is Congress.

JENNINGS: I’m talking about if we’re being invaded.

PHILLIP: When the president says we’re at war, he has to show proof —

JENNINGS: Show we’re actively at war, not —

PHILLIP: And what he needs to do is go to Congress and —

(CROSSTALKS)

LATHAN: Wait a second, though. I thought the genius of our system was that we weren’t beholden to one guy’s opinion, that the genius of the American system of government was that we had three co-equal branches, and in those co-equal branches decisions, were made about how we go about doing things.

Now, we want to tear that to shreds so that we can kowtow to one guy’s opinion, then we are in a monarchy. We’re being ruled.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.