CNN’s Kate Bolduan appeared to silence the station’s Republican Scott Jennings during the broadcast Monday.
On a charged news day that was both the anniversary of the 2021 riot and the day of Canadian Justin TrudeauAfter resigning from the bank, the two tackled the subject of inflation.
Along for the ride was Democratic pundit Bakari Sellers, who in turn told the two that “prices are falling.”
Jennings, 47, immediately disagreed, interrupting his more liberal counterpart.
This caused a back-and-forth involving Bolduan, 41, as she appeared to side with Sellers.
Regular guest Jennings, who was often forced to speak to panelists on the station due to differing views, remained steadfast in his response.
The verbal sparring match culminated with Boldaun telling the Conservative to “zap it” as she was visibly getting fed up with his interruptions.
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CNN host Kate Bolduan appeared to silence a conservative commentator on air Monday during a conversation about inflation
The exchange took place during a discussion on topics ranging from the Jan. 6 insurrection to Joe Biden’s alleged legacy, after which Republican staffer Scott Jennings was told to “zip it.”
“You’re trying to…” Jennings is heard saying before Boldaun calls in the demand, after which he completes the rest of his sentence.
“Just zip!” exclaimed the longtime CNN employee who has been with the network for nearly 18 years.
Without pause, Jennings insisted: ‘-to paint a picture of a country that does not exist.
‘I don’t understand!’ he further exclaimed, prompting Bolduan to deny that he was trying to convey any particular narrative.
“I don’t paint anything,” she said. ‘I’m painting, stop talking! That’s what I paint.’
The polishing ended there.
Earlier, during a discussion about the election and Trump’s landslide victory, Bolduan expressed surprise that such a person had won re-election. She called the uprising something potentially devastating.
Jennings, a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, then pushed back.
The confrontation took place during what amounted to a charged news day – both the anniversary of the 2021 riot and the day of Canadian Justin Trudeau’s resignation
‘Okay. I recognize that this was the argument that was made during the election,” Jennings responded to Bolduan, who went so far as to insist that Trump is “inheriting one of the best economies that any president has inherited in a very long time.”
Unconvinced, Jennings added, “And I would also like to acknowledge that the American people have rightly rejected that argument.”
At the time, sellers falsely claimed that prices were falling, seemingly confusing the concept with a declining inflation rate.
The annual U.S. inflation rate as of November was 2.7 percent for the 12 months ending that month, up from the previous rate hike of 2.6 percent, according to federal data released last month, meaning Sellers is uneven on both fronts had.
Bolduan did not notice this, although it was rightly stated that at some point interest rates “are from the bottom” [the] sky-high numbers during the pandemic.
“Interest rates are falling, which is the whole goal of the Federal Reserve,” she further added.
At that point, Jennings asked her and Sellers to clarify whether the prices of things like groceries were dropping — which ironically led to an interruption from the host, who seemed visibly annoyed at the time.
Jennings, a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and a rising star at the network, was forced to push back
‘Wait, wait, wait. Stop! Let’s move on…” she said as the three began talking over each other, causing her to demand that he be quiet.
A native of Indiana, Bolduan started as a national correspondent at the network in 2007.
A rising star at the network, Jennings also contributes to USA Today and the Los Angeles Times.