CNN panel spars over Trump vengeance tour

On Monday's edition of "CNN NewsNight," anchor Abby Phillip shut down defenders of President Donald Trump's weaponization of the Department of Justice against his perceived political enemies, Mediaite reports.

Following the indictments of Former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, Trump defenders on Phillip's' panel — conservatives Scott Jennings and Caroline Downey — "tried to defend Trump’s actions as benign or assert that Biden did the same thing," Mediaite says.

Phillip, along with left-leaning YouTube star Adam Mockler, repeatedly shot them down.

To Jennings, Mockler said, "Are you telling me that you’re okay with Donald Trump asking Pam Bondi directly — it was supposed to be a D.M., and he accidentally posted it. Don’t just come on that."

Jennings replied, "All presidents appoint their supporters and the people who support their agenda."

As Mockler and Jennings bickered over whether President Biden directed his own DOJ to punish his enemies, Downey jumped in to allege that the former president's Attorney General Merrick Garland "collaborated with Biden."

Phillip jumped in, asking, "where is the evidence that that was directed by the White House? Where’s the evidence that it was directed? And I’m going to broaden it, like not just the president, because you could argue that if you’re going to compare apples to apples, the direction needs to come from the president, but from the White House. Where’s the evidence of that?"

As Jennings struggled to provide any evidence, Phillip interjected, saying, "whether it is agreement or disagreement, both of those things would be involving themselves in what’s going on at DOJ in a way that most presidents don’t and that Donald Trump is," she said.

As Mockler pointed out that Trump "directly asks" his attorney general to go after his enemies, Jennings pounced, saying, "It is extraordinarily naive to believe that the Biden department operated as some disembodied floating—"

Panelist and left-wing activist Cornel West jumped in, asking Jennings, "the problem is, especially, Brother Scott, though, man, if one side is doing something immoral, all you’re going to do is point out what the other side did that was immoral?"

As Jennings balked, asking "what is immoral?" West shot back, saying, "So, we never get beyond any kind of immorality, we just rationalize more immorality, concentration of power, and you end up (INAUDIBLE) sort of fascism. That’s how you end up with fascism, no morality, whatsoever."

Philips then shut the whole panel down, saying "You guys have proof of your allegations of weaponization, which I’ve heard none so far at this table."