A “CNN NewsNight” panel discussion turned into a heated debate on Wednesday night after Scott Jennings slammed Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-Ga.) comments about President Donald Trump and White House aide Natalie Harp, arguing that Ossoff was “punching down” on a “defenseless woman.”
In response, other panel members, including Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), political strategist Keith Boykin and CNN host Abby Phillip, challenged Jennings, asking him to elaborate on how this is different from the myriad insults Trump has slung at women.
Phillip also told Jennings that his language about Harp is “demeaning,” a view supported by a gender politics expert who spoke to HuffPost.
Jennings declined to comment when HuffPost reached out. The White House also did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
“Just to be clear, I think the idea of continually describing a 35-year-old woman as somebody who has no agency and is defenseless and is just a victim — that is demeaning,” Phillip told Jennings. “You are so concerned about that, but you have not expressed any concern over Trump’s repeated demeaning of all kinds of other women who are just simply doing their jobs.”
