The left is desperately trying to claim the moral high ground on the issue of immigration enforcement and the ongoing unrest in Minnesota. To that end, CNN literally cherry-picked quotes from Gov. Tim Walz’s recent speech regarding the presence of ICE in his state.
Host Abby Phillip played clips of Walz urging peaceful protest and rejecting violence. But commentator Scott Jennings called her out for cherry-picking quotes.
"Okay, you cherry-picked a handful of comments," Jennings shot back. "Did you play the comment where he said, ‘We're under a federal occupation?'"
Phillip tried to deflect, asking whether calling Minnesota occupied territory actually constitutes inciting violence.
"Of course it is," Jennings responded. "What does that language sound like to you? You have Walz and Frey and Flanagan and the rest of these Democrats in Minnesota radicalizing and propagandizing their constituency, telling them things that aren't true."
(Just as an aside, Walz previously called ICE “Trump’s Gestapo.”)
"And what has happened?" Jennings continued. "One lady went out and got into a very, very sad and unfortunate situation."
Then he started listing violent incidents that followed Walz's heated rhetoric about "federal occupation."
"Three Venezuelan illegals came out and tried to beat an ICE agent to death with a shovel," he recounted. "Hordes of people on the street vandalized and raided ICE vehicles and stole weapons, Kevlar, and documents, and […] dox people on the internet last night. Do you believe they are listening to Tim Walz when he talks about peace? Or do you think they're listening to Tim Walz, who says we're being occupied by the federal government?"
ICYMI: Hakeem Jeffries Just Crossed a Dangerous Line That Can’t Be Uncrossed
The panel tried to push back. Chris Hahn, a former aide to N.Y. Sen. Chuck Schumer, attempted to do damage control by noting that both the governor and the mayor were calling for peace.
But Brianna Lyman of The Federalist wasn't letting them off the hook.
"After he declared we were in a civil war," she interjected.
Hahn pivoted to blaming ICE agents for supposedly threatening people by referencing a woman who had a confrontation with immigration enforcement, then called for everyone to dial down the temperature. He suggested the president needed to acknowledge things weren't going well.
“So, I think we need a global cooling-off period,” Hahn said. “I think that the President needs to acknowledge that this is not going well, both functionally—“
Jennings delivered the knockout punch with biting sarcasm. "Can you get the Venezuelans to cool off with the shovels, or do you think you'll be successful with it? Just out of curiosity."
BREAKING: An entire CNN panel was just left EMBARRASSED when @ScottJenningsKY CALLED OUT just what Tim Walz said that they're DEFENDING!
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) January 16, 2026
"You CHERRY-PICKED a handful of comments. Did you play the comment where he said, "We're under a federal occupation? Is THAT inciting… pic.twitter.com/kVxPEjdwSM
The exchange perfectly illustrated how CNN and other mainstream media are trying to gaslight the public into thinking that Walz and the Democrats are the ones who want peace, when they’re the ones using rhetoric like calling ICE a “modern-day Gestapo” and an “occupying force” or saying that we are “at war with the federal government.”
The truth is, Walz and the Left want the chaos, which is why they’re using every opportunity to pour gasoline on the fire.
Want to support fearless journalism that exposes the left and tells the stories the media won’t? PJ Media delivers the truth and holds the powerful accountable. Become a VIP member today. Your support fuels our mission and unlocks exclusive content, podcasts, an ad-free experience, and more.
Use code FIGHT for 60% off. Join now and stand for America-first journalism!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member