Salem Radio Network host Scott Jennings caused a CNN panel to melt down on Tuesday after he took a jab at Democratic Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for wearing a “Handmaid’s Tale” outfit while pandering to Somalis.
Flanagan praised the Somali community in her state in a video posted on Thursday by Somali TV of Minnesota, during which she wore a hijab, a head covering worn by some Muslim women, during her visit to a Minneapolis-area market. Jennings described the “catering” to the Somali community as “a little weird,” prompting Jamal Simmons, a one-time aide to former Vice President Kamala Harris, to interject.
“You gotta admit, though, the catering to the Somali community that goes on by the Democrats in Minnesota is a little weird, is it not?” Jennings asked, with Simmons responding, “I will tell you, I was in Minnesota two weeks ago. The people of Minnesota —”
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“They got the lieutenant governor up there dressed like The Handmaid‘s Tale. I mean, why do they cater —” Jennings said before Simmons interrupted, claiming, “That is out of line.”
“The Handmaid’s Tale” is a dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, published in 1985, featuring a theocratic takeover of the United States. The novel was also adapted into a TV series by Hulu and ran from 2017 to 2025.
Jennings attempted to respond to Simmons by asking why Democrats put Somalis “at the center of everything,” but “CNN NewsNight” host Abby Phillip cut in.
“Just a second, just a second, because I don’t, I don’t think it would be acceptable for you to make a statement like that about orthodox Jews in Brooklyn. Why on earth is it acceptable to make a statement like that about people —” Phillip asked before Jennings cut in, saying, “It is a white liberal woman dressing in a —”
“I’m just saying — I’m just saying you are —” Phillip said before Jennings responded, “You’re saying Republicans are signaling at Somalis. The Democrats are the ones who put them at the center of a —”
Phillip then accused Jennings of “denigrating” the religious practices of the Somali community, which is overwhelmingly Muslim.
“You’re describing the type of dress as The Handmaid’s Tale, and you’re doing that to denigrate the religion of the people,” Phillip claimed. “It wouldn’t be acceptable if you did it with another group. So don’t — just don’t do it when it comes to Muslim people. That’s not okay.”
“I’m simply pointing out it‘s Democrats — it‘s Democrats who have put Somali diaspora in Minneapolis at the center of their party and their state‘s politics,” Jennings responded. It’s a small portion of the population. There is a bunch of fraud that goes on and even Tim Walz has claimed that any investigation of this fraud is akin to white supremacy.”
In a Nov. 30 statement, state employees accused Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota of engaging in “systemic” retaliation against whistleblowers who warned of the fraud schemes. Estimates of the fraud have increased to at least $9 billion, according to federal officials, with the Treasury Department investigating allegations that some of the proceeds from the scheme went to the radical Islamic terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
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