Scott Jennings Repeats Hard Truths to CNN Panel on Mahmoud Khalil
As Townhall has been covering, a pro-Hamas activist Mahmoud Khalil was arrested over the weekend by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and is at risk of deportation. Despite how he led pro-Hamas activities at Columbia University and recently participated in them at its sister school of Barnard College, radical leftist politicians have come rallying to Khalil's cause. Fortunately, there's still voices speaking on the side of truth, including Scott Jennings who appeared on Monday night's "CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip."
As host Abby Phillip tried to make the issue about "hate speech," Jennings pointed out that's not quite it. "I don't think hate speech is actually the issue. He's a resident alien. He can be deported under U.S. law for -- if the secretary of State has any reasonable ground to believe he would have a potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequence, and you mentioned the student organization," he explained, a point Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump have pointed to.
As Jennings tried to further discuss the pro-Hamas student organization, Phillip asked about threats Khalil posed, specifically, "Have you seen any evidence to suggest that there is actually a serious reason to believe that this student is going to be a threat to national security in this country?"
"I certainly watched the abomination that's gone on at Columbia," Jennings made clear, speaking about the student activity that Khalil was part of leading when it comes to the encampment at the university. As Jennings tried to explain how such a group posed "a threat to national security," Phillip was initially resistant to actually listen to his answer.
"His organization says, we are dedicated fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization," Jennings was finally able to share, reminding that Khalil is "not a citizen" and "he doesn't need to be here."
Moments later in the segment, Phillip still harped on the "viewpoints" framing, rather than Khalil not being a citizen and having espoused terrorist sympathizing views, as Jennings pointed out. "He has viewpoints that, in my opinion, jeopardize the security of the United States," Jennings shared, further clarifying by pointing to how Khalil is "obviously a radical," though he was cut off by a fellow panelist, journalist Van Lathan, who shockingly claimed that "no, [Khalil] is not a radical at all," leading the panel to devolve into chaotic crosstalk.
Jennings did, however, get the chance to demand if others were saying a desire to "eradicate western civilization doesn't make you a radical?" He went on to explain to an insistent Phillip that "I think these protests and the violence they have fomented, and the intimidation and fear against the Jewish kids on these campuses is absolutely an act of insurrection against the United States."
Bruce Blakeman, the County Executive of Nassau County and a Republican, also got a word in edgewise to remind that Khalil "wants to destroy western civilization."
Jennings eventually got the chance to make similar remarks about the threat these pro-Hamas terrorist sympathizers support, though it wasn't without other co-panelists, such as Lathan, trying to still defend Khalil.
Daniel Koh, who worked for the Biden administration, also claimed that "nobody at this table is condoning antisemitism," adding, "I think we need to take a step back and realize the implications of what the president has done without due process. On his Truth social post, he not only referenced antisemitism, he referenced anti-American speech," as he claimed to not know what that is, though the pro-Hamas terrorists on college campuses have certainly espoused it. "And so, leaving that up to President Trump, I think there's a lot of Americans out there who would be pretty concerned about him using his own interpretation of anti-American to do things without due process," Koh continued.
Phillip went with that "anti-American speech" line, asking Jennings if "that's enough?"
"Look, what they have engaged in is a clear threat to the United States. And if you want the United States to be overrun by radicals the way Europe has, be my guest. But I think the president needs to stand up for the integrity of the United States," Jennings shared. When prompted by Phillip as to what that threat was, he pointed out that "the threat of our country and our college campuses being overrun by radicals who are trying to run Jewish kids off of campuses."
That is when Lathan made his unbelievable claim that such pro-Hamas terrorist sympathizers are "not trying to run Jewish kids off," despite the evidence to the contrary. Fortunately, Jennings had the truth on his side.
"Yes they are in UCLA. In UCLA, they won't even let them go to class," Jennings added, speaking about a university that has been sued and is under investigation. "Columbia is in abomination," he also mentioned.
Lathan took further issue with Jennings' truthful points, insisting "no, they're not," even claiming that "there were violent counter protests at UCLA that were done by Jewish organizations." When Jennings insisted he not "both sides" this issue," Lathan got particularly incensed at Jennings for daring to call out the points he was making.
"Woah, oh my God! It absolutely is a scourge on this country, but what is not a scourge on this country is people that are protesting for the lives of children in Gaza," he said, as he continued to go for a particular framing on the issue. "People that are protesting a war that's gone on way too long with thousands--they're not protesting. There are many Jewish kids, Columbia students that are out there protesting with people."
As Blakeman tried to jump in to accurately remind that "Hamas beheaded babies" and "raped women," Phillip stirred the conversation over to still trying to insist that Jennings provide more evidence about Khalil's wrongdoing to warrant deportation. "What I'm saying is that it is not clear that this particular student has engaged in the specific actions that he was talking about. And you've shown me no evidence of that either," she insisted to Jennings
When Jennings tried to calmly repeat the viewpoints he's made, which is that it matters a whole lot that Khalil is "not a citizen" and is rather "a guest in this country," she cut Jennings off to claim, "so, you don't have proof, but it doesn't matter."
"No, I didn't walk in here with my gumshoe investigative case, Abby. But here's what I do think. This guy's running an organization at Columbia that has ruined two solid years of people's lives," Jennings went on to say, as Phillip was still full of complaints, lamenting that Jennings' arguments were "based on allegations that you have not substantiated." This comes even as it's indisputable that Khalil is, in fact, not a citizen.
"He's saying that someone should be deported... I think he should be deported based on what the Trump administration has already identified," Jennings tried to say during the crosstalk, explaining once more that Khalil has posed a threat, though he was cut off by Phillip and Ana Navarro, who is also co-host on "The View." Jennings still called her out for how her argument based on her personal experiences and protests was not actually relevant.
"Look, my view is that we're in a fight for the future of Western civilization. This guy's on the wrong side of it, and he don't need to be here," Jennings also said to close the hectic segment.
This is hardly the only time that Jennings has spoken out against Hamas and the protesters and agitators who support them, or the so-called journalists who spew their propaganda. He's worn a yellow ribbon every day since the October 7 attack that Hamas perpetrated against Israel, in honor of bringing the approximately 250 hostages taken captive home.
Jennings support for Israel and Jewish students is also on display over social media. Throughout Monday, the Senate Judiciary Democrats put out many posts in support of Khalil, with one in particularly gaining attention. Jennings called out the Democrats over X for such a post, specifically how they took the wrong side of an 80/20 issue with the American people.
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