CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings ridiculed the notion that mainstream journalists are afraid of President-elect Trump retaliating against them once he’s in office.
CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings mocked journalists who are reportedly in fear of President-elect Trump retaliating against them for their critical reporting on him.
While CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter told a network panel led by host Abby Phillip on Tuesday night that sources he spoke with say MSNBC co-hosts Mike Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, along with other mainstream journalists, are in fear of being targeted by Trump, Jennings chuckled and shook his head, saying their reported concern is evidence of how egotistical they are.
“I mean, isn’t it possible, too, that they’re just two people who think they are so full of themselves, so full of self-aggrandizement that they would feel like that they would be personally [targeted],” Jennings said as Stelter noted that some of the “Morning Joe” hosts’ co-workers agree with that assessment.
“Don’t tell anyone, but some of their colleagues feel that way,” Stelter said.
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The back and forth started after Phillip invited Stelter to discuss what he believes is the motive behind Scarborough and Brzezinski meeting with Trump in Mar-a-Lago last week, namely the fear of Trump going after them.
The analyst said, “But according to my sources, they believed — they credibly were concerned that they faced governmental and legal harassment with this incoming administration — essentially, that they feared retribution. And that’s partly why they sought out this meeting.”
Both the “Morning Joe” co-hosts told their audience on Monday that they went to “restart communications” with the soon-to-be president, whom they’ve criticized relentlessly over the years.
Scarborough told his audience that they went over such topics as abortion, mass deportation and threats of retribution against political opponents and media outlets. Brzezinski added that it’s “time to do something different.”
Stelter continued, telling Phillip that other members of the mainstream media fear retaliation from Trump.
“But there are a number of journalists at places like the AP [Associated Press] and other big news outlets that are concerned about retaliation in the coming months. Anything from IRS audits to lawsuits and things like that,” he said, adding, “There are media outlets bulking up on lawyers, thinking about having more libel insurance, those sorts of things.”
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As Stelter spoke, Jennings cracked a smile and shook his head, prompting Phillip to ask him what he thought. Jennings said if they’re afraid it’s because of their big egos, though he doubted that they’re actually in fear of Trump.
“If that’s what happened and if that’s what they truly believed, why did they go on TV and say that?” he asked, pointing to the co-hosts’ own description of the meeting that didn’t seem to indicate any fear.
“‘We went down there to meet with the president to tell him that, hey, anyone who’s been critical of you, you know, you should treat us like journalists and not like the enemy,’” he continued, sharing what he thinks they should have told their viewers if they were fearful.
He drove the point home, saying, “They didn’t go on TV and say that. They went on TV and portrayed it much differently. So, what I hear you saying in your reporting is they had a motive that they weren’t willing to disclose to their audience, which I think should get them more scorn today than they were already getting to begin with.”
Stelter conceded, “I think that’s a fair point.”
MSNBC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s David Rutz contributed to this report.
