Republican CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings on Sunday dismissed out of hand the notion floated by Democrats and some in the media of firing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over the so-called SignalGate breach,
On the latest State of the Union on CNN, Jennings joined former Biden administration Pentagon spox Chris Meagher, Michigan Democrat State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and conservative CNn political commentator Shermichael Singleton for a panel discussion with host Dana Bash, during which they covered the ongoing story of a national security chat among Trump administration officials on Signal, to which a journalist was inadvertently invited.
Bash pointed out that Democrats haven’t been able to get much traction with the story, and spoke first to Meagher, who emphasized the gravity of sharing classified or sensitive information in an insecure setting, saying if someone like him had done it, “I’d be out on my — out on the sidewalk.”
Bash then turned to Jennings, who had a much less grave outlook on the situation.
“”It’s possible to say this was a mistake, and it’s a teachable moment, and I have no doubt they won’t do it again,” he said. He then dismissed any suggestion Hegseth or national security adviser Mike Waltz should be fired over it, saying “the bar for firing people like this is really high from the last administration,” and referenced the Afghanistan withdrawal.
“So, if you’re arguing today that we should get rid of Pete Hegseth over a small mistake regarding communications, even while he was expertly executing this military operation against the Houthi rebels,” he said. “I just — I don’t have — I don’t have a lot of time for that argument today. And neither does most Republicans.”
Meagher replied that Hegseth has taken no responsibility personally, in contrast to former defense secretary Gen Lloyd Austin, and that prompted some crosstalk and arguing among the panelists.
When McMorrow jumped in to say that she appreciated Jennings calling it a mistake, saying no one in the administration has done the same, Jennings repeatedly pushed back to say President Donald Trump acknowledged the mistake..
“We have not heard a single member of the Trump administration say that this was a mistake,” McMorrow said.
“Trump did,” Jennings replied three times.
It is also worth noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio also specifically said it was a “big mistake.”
BASH: I know Democrats are trying, but so far there doesn’t seem to be a dog that’s hunting on the pushback in a real aggressive way, except for the notion of the inspector general at the Pentagon, where you used to work, looking into it, which James Lankford endorsed on the show earlier.
MEAGHER: Yes.
So here’s the fundamental issue with what you just heard from the Trump administration. They’re losing the trust of the troops, who should be the main focus in all of this. The business of the Department of Defense is very dangerous.
Every single day, they’re dealing with life-and-death issues. It’s risky and it’s dangerous. And so, you need our leadership, our most senior leadership at the Pentagon, our most senior leadership in the United States government, to take steps to mitigate that risk. To take steps to keep our troops safe.
Pete Hegseth? He did the opposite. He put classified, sensitive material about an operation, hours before that operation took place, into an unclassified setting, which is one of the biggest no-no’s at the Department of Defense. If somebody like me did that, I’d be out on my — out on the sidewalk.
And so I think you need to really take a look at…
BASH: Yes.
MEAGHER: … the actions that they took, and the result of it.
BASH: Scott?
JENNINGS: Well, I think it’s possible for two things to be true. One, it’s possible to say this was a mistake, and it’s a teachable moment, and I have no doubt they won’t do it again.
And it’s also possible to look at — If you’re trying to assess, ‘What should we do about it?; — I hear Democrats arguing, well, should we fire Pete Hegseth, we should fire the national security adviser.
The bar for firing people like this is really high from the last administration, when, after the Afghanistan withdrawal, which was a disaster, people died, no accountability was meted out. After the drone strike that vaporized those poor kids and that family, no accountability. After the secretary of defense went AWOL, no accountability.
So, if you’re arguing today that we should get rid of Pete Hegseth over a small mistake regarding communications, even while he was expertly executing this military operation against the Houthi rebels, which also the Biden administration didn’t take up, I just — I don’t have — I don’t have a lot of time for that argument today. And neither does most Republicans.
MEAGHER: The problem here is that Pete Hegseth has taken no accountability. He’s bashed the reporter. He’s called it a hoax. He’s done everything but say, hey, I made a mistake by putting this information in the Signal chat.
You mentioned Secretary Austin. He stood at the podium for an hour and took accountability. He asked for a 30-day review of the hospitalization. He asked for an inspector general…
JENNINGS: Did a single Democrat ask for his resignation? Did a single Democrat? Not one.
MCMORROW: Scott, if I may — Scott, I am so glad to hear you say that this was a mistake. We have not heard a single member of the Trump administration say that this was a mistake.
JENNINGS: Trump did! Trump did!
MCMORROW: We need leadership. We need leaders who step up who own their mistakes —
JENNINGS: Trump did!
MCMORROW: — and put out clear plans, because what I’m hearing on the ground from actual constituents is that this is a sign of the carelessness of this administration, who can’t even protect national security details. What about our personal details? Our tax numbers?
Watch the clip above via CNN.
The post ‘They Won’t Do It Again!’ CNN’s Scott Jennings Calls SignalGate a ‘Small Mistake’ and Utterly Dismisses Idea Hegseth Should Be Fired For It first appeared on Mediaite.
