CNN panel goes off the rails with explosive debate over Holocaust deniers
A CNN panel descended into chaos during a debate about how President Trump's Education Secretary handled a question about colleges hiring Holocaust deniers as she was grilled by Congress.
Members of the NewsNight panel got into a nasty flap Wednesday as co-host Abby Phillip referenced the comments made by Education Secretary Linda McMahon at a House committee hearing a day earlier.
When asked by a Democratic congressman whether a university refusing to hire a Holocaust denier counts as forcing individuals to adhere to certain ideological views, McMahon remarked that 'there should be diversity of viewpoints relative to teachings and opinions on campuses.'
Seizing on the comment, Phillip asked the panel: 'A diversity of viewpoints about Holocaust denying?' - leading to a war of words with her conservative co-host Scott Jennings.
'That's not what [McMahon] said, adding 'she was not answering what is a patently ridiculous question.'
A fierce back-and-forth ensued, with Phillip and Jennings talking over each other as the battle dragged on.
'I and no Republican can take any lectures about anti-Semitism right now from Democrats,' Jennings argued at one point, insisting McMahon had given the 'same answer every Republican has had for time immemorial.'
'But why on earth would she not be able to answer that question?' Phillip pressed. 'Why would she even dodge the question? What is the answer?'
Jennings again defended McMahon.
'She wasn't responding to [the question],' he said, leading Phillip to ask why he was 'so sure.'
'Because I'm a thinking human being who can see what a rational person would say to a ridiculous question,' Jennings replied. 'You were totally misconstruing this.'
'Scott, literally, we played it for the American people to see it,' Phillip snapped back.
'Yeah. And every single person's going to see it my way,' Jennings said.
'The answer ought to be "no," but it sounds like she didn't want to given an answer,' Phillip insisted.
Jennings then accused the panel of purposely painting McMahon as a Holocaust denier.
'Everybody, everybody stop,' an annoyed Phillip remarked at that point. 'Everybody stop for a second. Excuse me, Scott. Nobody accused her of being a Holocaust denier.'
Following some more crosstalk, Phillip said it was 'completely disingenuous' for Jennings to accuse the panel of boxing in McMahon, arguing it was 'very clear' he was attempting to deflect.
'Are you accusing us?' an incredulous Jennings then fired back, pointing to himself and panel guest Brad Todd, a Republican ad creator.
Jennings then claimed that the congressman who grilled McMahon had purposely asked a 'disingenuous question' to produce a 'gotcha moment.'
'It is very telling that you are not able or willing to even entertain an answer,' Phillip said, before the show cut to commercial.
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