CNN NewsNight Guest Absolutely Trashes the Show After Viral Scott Jennings Debate: ‘I Feel Dirty and Stupid’ When I Leave There
Screenshot via MeidasTouch
Paul Rieckhoff blasted CNN’s Scott Jennings and the network’s powder keg of a show, NewsNight, on Wednesday, just a couple of days after the pair engaged in a tense debate on the program.
On Monday’s edition of NewsNight, Rieckhoff and Jennings ended up in some contentious exchanges about President-elect Donald Trump’s willingness to use military personnel to aid in his mass deportation plan. Rieckhoff, an Iraq War veteran and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, argued a plan to involve American military is too vague and risky, while Jennings argued the military would serve in a “supporting” role to local law enforcement.
The debate featured some intense moments. At one point, Rieckhoff asked Jennings if he’d ever served in uniform and Jennings accused Rieckhoff of launching into a “speech.” Rieckhoff also accused Jennings of trying to “sidetrack” him every time he’s on.
Appearing on a podcast put out by the progressive outlet MeidasTouch on Wednesday, Rieckhoff called Jennings a “dick” and accused NewsNight of presenting a platform that is not healthy for debate or America.
“Here’s what I want to tell people: He’s a dick. He’s a real dick, he’s rude, he’s kind of sneaky,” Rieckhoff said about Jennings, noting at one point that none of the other guests are interested in talking off camera. The veteran said he feels “dirty and stupid” when he leaves the set of the show, which has had plenty of tense debates at its roundtable.
“I’ve been down this road before and I’ve seen this type of environment that I’ve said out loud, I’ve told Abby Phillip, ‘I think this kind of shit is bad for America, I think the viewers don’t actually like it,’ I think I feel dirty and stupid when I leave that show and I’m on it!” Rieckhoff said.
Rieckhoff called Jennings a “partisan propagandist” and blasted the media in general for being a “self-licking ice cream cone.”
“They want the clip so then the clip goes viral and then you go back watch to see what they might say next, but they’re all mobbed up. We could talk about Scarborough and Brzezinski and all that, but I know because I’ve been inside it for 20 years not getting paid — I am technically the lowest paid person at MSNBC and I also go to NewsNation every week, which is conservative, right-of-center, I go to Fox, I’ve seen it all, so I want people to understand something that’s really important: a lot of it is a game,” he said.
Rieckhoff added that his intention with his CNN appearances is not to get into testy exchanges with commentators like Jennings, but rather to offer his expertise to the host.
“Scott’s the kind of guy who won’t say anything to your face and waits for you to turn your head and gives you a sucker punch, right? It’s not honorable,” he said. “And I’m not shitting you when I’m telling you I’m not there to fuck with this guy, I’m there to talk to the host.”
Watch above via MeidasTouch.
