On CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, Democrat apparat and failed Biden OMB nominee Neera Tanden tried to conflate the leftist terror attacks against Tesla vehicles and facilities with the January 6th Capitol Riot. Conservative commentator Scott Jennings had none of it.
Watch the exchange in its entirety, as Tanden realizes about halfway through that she walked into a buzzsaw (click “expand” to view transcript):
I’m sure that Neera Tanden thought her bothsidesing the Tesla terror attacks with J6 was a cute take until Scott Jennings tore the bark off of her. Rattled her so hard she dropped her coffee mug pic.twitter.com/saBZMpdwV3
– Jorge Bonilla (@Bonillajl) March 19, 2025
CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP
3/18/25
10:42 PM
SCOTT JENNINGS: So- doubtful it’s Republicans attacking Tesla dealerships around the country. It’s pretty wild, actually. The other night, Donald Trump said, “these are domestic terrorists.” Everybody laughed about it and scoffed at it. That video looks like terrorism to me. I mean, it’s obviously an organized, coordinated effort, however people are- are communicating with each other to do this to people around the country who chose to buy a Tesla at some point in the past, many of whom I’m sure are Democrats who bought them in the first place. All because their entire political worldview is ruled by their emotions. And that’s the American left right now. It is one angry mob after another, willing to take things into their own hands up to and including keying, firebombing, and otherwise vandalizing cars and car dealerships and charging stations. It’s outrageous. It is terrorism. People ought to be put in jail and left there for a very long time and be taught a lesson.
NEERA TANDEN: So when they do it to a Tesla dealership, it’s really bad. But when they do it to the halls of Congress, we should pardon them. Is that your position?
JENNINGS: No. I’ve never…I don’t support…
TANDEN: Are we okay with the January 6th pardons?
JENNINGS: I know, I know, I know, I know you haven’t been around for a while, so let me educate you about my position about January 6th.
TANDEN: I’m so- I’m so sorry. You don’t need to….
JENNINGS: Let me educate. Let me educate you.
TANDEN: …you don’t need to patronize me.
JENNINGS: No, no- you don’t need to…you don’t, you don’t- and you don’t need to be condescending to me.
TANDEN: I’m just saying…I’m not condescending.
JENNINGS: So let me educate you about my position. You want to attack me? Let me. Let me finish. Let me finish it. Just let me finish it.
TANDEN: I’m just asking you a question.
JOHN BERMAN: Guys. Guys. Let’s do this- January 6th. And then Neera.
TANDEN: I’m just asking you a question. I’m sorry you’re getting emotional.
JENNINGS: Yeah. I’m sorry you’re a condescending person who hasn’t been paying attention to what I do, so…
ASHLEY ALLISON: Okay. Okay.
BERMAN: Stop, guys.
JENNINGS: So here’s- so here’s the issue. I didn’t support what happened on January the 6th and was one of the first Republicans to call it out. I don’t support the pardons. I have repeatedly, just like my friend Ashley here, said that no violence in our political system is acceptable. But this right here, what’s going on with a guy who helps our country, who runs successful companies, who doesn’t have to be doing this, and now one of his companies is under systematic terroristic threat and violence all over the country and people seem to be laughing about it or fine with it. It’s outrageous. I’ve sat at this table and had people say we should cut Elon Musk from the government totally. He rescued our astronauts today. Is that what we want? The treatment of this guy is outrageous. These people who are doing this need to be found, put in jail, and made an example of. That’s my point.
TANDEN: Anyone who commits violence against Tesla or Congress or anyone else should be put in jail 1,000%, but that should not stifle dissent or opposition from Elon Musk…
JENNINGS: Of course. Give it a little lip service. Give it a little both-sides. Go ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
TANDEN: Oh, no. Oh, yeah. We’re so both-sides here. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry to say that people are legitimately upset. They are legitimately upset at Elon Musk.
JENNINGS: And that- they- Legitimate???
TANDEN: And they’re doing it on their own. But there is no reason to have violence in the country. But I just wish all of us would support criticism of- would support punishing people who are violent wherever they are.
Credit to CNN’s John Berman, who subbed in for host Abby Phillip and let Jennings and Tanden have it out with minimal intervention. Like a good MMA referee, Berman checked in and cleaned the exchange up a little bit but otherwise let them go. Phillip, on the other hand, would’ve bailed Tanden out about 5 seconds into Jennings’ response to her smug January 6 whatabouting of the Tesla firebugs.
Tanden, who upon discovering she didn’t have the votes for OMB went on to serve as Biden’s staff secretary, had no real response for Jennings beyond the tie ins to January 6th. As it is, her arguments crumbled once Jennings rightly tore into her for incorrectly assuming his stance on the J6 pardons. At one point, Tanden gets so frazzled that she drops her coffee mug on the floor, which broke the tension at the table.
There is no justification for violence in response to viewpoint differences. Tanden failed to articulate that, and got rightly ripped for it.
