Scott Jennings Rebuked on CNN for Calling Peggy Flanagan’s Hijab ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

Overview

• During CNN NewsNight, Scott Jennings said, “They got the lieutenant governor up there dressed like The Handmaid’s Tale,” referring to Peggy Flanagan wearing a hijab in a visit shown by Somali TV of Minnesota.
• Host Abby Phillip told Jennings the comparison denigrated a religious practice and said such remarks would not be acceptable toward other faith communities.
• Online reaction included calls for CNN to suspend or remove Jennings, while conservative outlets argued that Handmaid’s imagery is routinely used in political commentary.
• Flanagan wore a headscarf during a stop at a Minneapolis Somali market, and a spokesperson said a friend handed her a scarf that she briefly wore out of respect while showing support for local businesses and communities targeted by ICE.
• Jennings said Democrats were “catering” to a small segment of voters and invoked fraud allegations involving some Somali migrants, a subject under ongoing investigation by federal and state authorities.