• Facebook
• Twitter
• Threads
• Flipboard
• Comments
• Print
• Email
• Add Fox News on Google

CNN's Scott Jennings sparks feud after criticizing Minnesota Lt. Gov. for wearing headscarf similar to a 'Handmaid's Tale' character to pander to Somalian Muslims

CNN's Scott Jennings sparked a furor after he criticized how socially liberal Democrats pander to devoutly religious Somalian Muslims in Minnesota.

A CNN panel erupted on Monday night after a conservative commentator called out the Minnesota lieutenant governor for appearing to wear a hijab. 

Minnesota Democratic Lt. Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan appeared on a Somali TV station wearing what appears to be a hijab at a mall as a widespread fraud scandal implicating some Somali residents plagues the state.

"The Somali community is part of the fabric of the state of Minnesota," Flanagan said, looking into the camera.

For Muslim women, wearing a headscarf known as a hijab is typically a sign of obedience to God and worn to show modesty. Flanagan is a divorced and remarried Catholic who supports socially liberal policies like transgender identity for children and abortion rights. The contrast between wearing conservative Muslim garb with socially liberal policies became a contentious segment on "CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip."

HOW FEARS OF BEING LABELED 'RACIST' HELPED 'PROVIDE COVER' FOR THE EXPLODING MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

Conservative commentator Scott Jennings sparked an argument on CNN when he questioned why socially liberal Democrats pander to religious Muslim populations. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

"The catering to the Somali community that goes on by the Democrats in Minnesota is a little weird, is it not?" Scott Jennings asked. "They’ve got the lieutenant governor up there dressed like the Handmaid’s Tale."

Jennings was referring to Margaret Atwood’s "The Handmaid’s Tale," a dystopian novel about life under a totalitarian theocracy in which a class of women is forced to bear children amid a fertility crisis. Liberal protesters often wear the modest outfit with its red robes and bonnet as a visual shorthand to warn that America is about become that same type of dystopia.

"Why do they cater to them?" Jennings asked. "It's such a small portion of the population. Democrats put them at the center of everything." 

CNN host Abby Phillip balked at comparing the hijab to the handmaids' outfits.

"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 responded. 

"It's a White liberal woman dressing in [a hijab]," Jennings interjected.

SOMALI FRAUD PROBE IN MINNESOTA UNDERSCORES GROWING WARNINGS ON CASH REACHING EXTREMISTS

Minnesota Lt. Gov. and Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan appeared in a hijab on Somali TV as the state reels from a massive fraud scandal tied to a Somali-run nonprofit. (Somali TV Minnesota)

"You’re denigrating the religious practices of a group for no reason," Phillip argued.

"She's not religious," Jennings said.

A spokesperson representing Flanagan responded by telling Fox News Digital, "While the lieutenant governor was showing her support for small businesses and communities being terrorized by ICE, she was handed a scarf by a friend and briefly wore it out of respect. The real outrage should not be a scarf, but masked men throwing American citizens into vans and violating the Constitution."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Demonstrators dressed as handmaidens from "The Handmaid's Tale" take part in an anti-Trump protest marking one year since the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump, in Washington, D.C., Nov. 5, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News' Preston Mizell contributed to this report.

• ·《蜘蛛侠：崭新之日》预告泄露！墓碑登场 镜头致敬漫画
• ·初二状物作文：暖风抚馨香
• ·植物大战僵尸融合版究极植物怎么解锁 究极植物解锁攻略
• ·赚到了！买两块9100 PRO SSD却收到整整两箱 价值超4万元
• ·浊世决战 602《国之战魂》如火如荼迎敌战
• ·洛杉矶“死亡隧道”！网友开车还原Vince死亡时刻
• ·濉溪县濉溪镇：花鼓戏韵润邻里 非遗传承进万家
• ·美肯塔基州货机坠毁事故死亡人数升至15人
• ·足彩伤停：大巴黎主力门将受伤 皇马防线失5人
• ·"เท้ง" ย้ำชัด ไม่มีนโยบายแก้ม.112 ซัด "อนุทิน" บิดเบือนหวังผลทางการเมือง
• ·河南智慧垃圾分类箱解决方案
• ·初二状物作文：车前草 1
• ·Scott Jennings sparks CNN feud over Dems pandering to Somali community
• ·美图秀秀怎么修图和加水印
• ·科技托举荣耀 墨甲机器人领跑行业，解锁国际体育赛事机器人颁奖先河
• ·故宫养心殿重新开放，有这些新看点