Former CNN host Jim Acosta discussed right-wing pundits like Scott Jennings with columnist and political commentator Wajahat Ali on his "Left Hook" Substack. According to Acosta, pundits like Jennings often complain to cable network staff when they are not portrayed positively during debates.
Acosta stated that CNN continues to perform well in global reporting. He criticized "people like Scott Jennings in prime time," saying they are "trashing the good name of the company."
Jennings appeared on a prime-time panel last week with Democratic commentator Adam Mockler, 23. During the segment, Jennings used profanity while addressing Mockler. Jennings, 48, has worked in Republican politics for over 25 years. He yelled at Mockler to get his "f—— hand out of my face."
Acosta responded to the incident, stating, "I just thought, what is going on over there? You know, this guy shouldn't be on CNN."
Following the confrontation, Acosta called for Jennings to be fired.
During their conversation, Acosta and Ali discussed Jennings' conduct behind the scenes. Ali recalled his time on CNN in 2019 before the pandemic. During that period, the network replaced commentators with public health experts and physicians. Ali said he maintained positive relationships with staff, producers, and panelists, but noted that right-wingers occasionally complained to the network about him.
Ali stated: "However, and you brought this up, you saw this with Scott Jennings and with corporate media ... is that he's bitter. It's an egregious double standard for right-wing conservatives and [Donald] Trump supporters. And it's always been this way with corporate media. They've (conservatives) always worked the refs."
Ali added that during his year at CNN, he received "three-and-a-half warnings" from network staff after right-wingers complained that "I was too mean to them."
Acosta responded: "And Scott, I mean, I will just tell you from personal experience, I mean, Scott has done that. He is very well known inside as a whiner. If he doesn't like the way things go down during a segment, he will complain internally. And, you know, it's kind of a joke. It's what you and I have talked about before when it comes to these MAGA pundits. They can dish it out, but they can't take it, and Scott Jennings is the perfect example of that."
Acosta described Jennings as "somebody who used to be a Trump critic, and you could bring him on and he sort of called balls and strikes, and if there was something that Donald Trump did that he didn't like, he would say something. He was critical of Trump after Jan. 6. All of that changed." Jennings, Acosta said, "plays a part on TV" rather than providing analysis.
Ali discussed the concept of "liberal snowflakes," noting that conservatives can "say whatever they want and state lies as facts and get away with it," whereas he could not do so as someone on the left. According to GQ columnist Dana Schwartz in a 2017 column, the right adopted the 1990s derogatory slang term "snowflake" to ridicule the left for being easily offended or overly sensitive.
Ali concluded: "The right wing just attacks, attacks, attacks and corporate media bends the knee to the right."
