On CNN’s News Night, Anna Navarro asked Scott Jennings straight out if the Trump-promoted conspiracy during the ABC Presidential Debate about migrants stealing and eating cats and dogs was racist.
It’s a yes or no question, and not hard to answer.
That is, unless you’re in the MAGA cult and filling the role of Jeffrey Lord, the former noxious Trump supporter that either validated or wished away Trump’s racism in 2016.
Notice the long pause Jennings takes before finally participating. You could see the screws turning in his head.
NAVARRO: So, yesterday, when he said… when he said that, he wasn’t being, uh, sarcastic. He wasn’t being hyperbolic. He was amplifying a conspiracy theory that I think you would agree puts a target on the backs of Haitian immigrants and that it is based on racism.
Would you agree on that?
(OS) Anti-Black racism would be more pointed.
Do you think that if… do you think that if there were 20,000 Scandinavians that had been sent to Springfield, people would be saying that they’re eating cats and dogs and geese?
JENNINGS: Look, I’m not… I’m not… I’m not gonna answer for him, for his memes or anything else, but I am going to… (OS) Why not?
NAVARRO: No, no, but I’m asking you, do you think that conspiracy is based on racism? I mean, at the end of the day, yes or no?
JENNINGS: Because I’m not gonna answer.
I don’t know.
I don’t know.
ABBY: That was a long pause, Scott.
JENNINGS: Because I don’t know the answer. And I’m not gonna sit here and answer for somebody. I don’t talk to Donald Trump about what the motivations are, and I don’t answer to you, either.
PHILLIPS: But, Scott, what is the answer for you?
But the bottom line is…I was trying to give you a thoughtful answer.
It’s not a call for a thoughtful answer. If you can’t answer yes or no then you’re lying.
Ana Navarro then ended the segment by pouncing on him and Trump for promoting such hatred to 70 million people based on lies and racism.