A former Department of Homeland Security official from Trump’s administration has leveled serious claims against a well-known CNN commentator, alleging the analyst privately derides the president while publicly defending him.
Miles Taylor, who was DHS chief of staff during Trump’s first term, ignited the dispute on social media on Tuesday after a tense exchange with Scott Jennings on CNN’s “NewsNight” Monday night. Taylor posted on X that Jennings is “a pundit who mocks Trump with us during commercial breaks — but fawns over Trump when the camera is rolling.”
The claim set off a flurry of responses online. New York Post reporter Lydia Moynihan defended Jennings, asserting his convictions are sincere. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) pushed back, writing: “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE JOKING??!! I’ve been on CNN too and while I won’t reveal behind-the-scenes details, I’ll just say I disagree.” Jennings stopped short of directly addressing Taylor’s charge, but did respond indirectly on X, sharing a clip from the NewsNight episode and writing that anyone citing anonymous Middle East allies to undermine the commander-in-chief during a military operation should be treated with skepticism. Taylor fired back, accusing Jennings of texting with anonymous White House sources while they were live on air.
The confrontation arrives as Taylor faces increasing scrutiny from the Trump administration. In April 2025, the president issued a memorandum titled “Addressing Risks Associated with an Egregious Leaker and Disseminator of Falsehoods,” naming Taylor and directing several agencies to examine his past service. Trump publicly labeled Taylor “guilty of treason.”
Taylor’s allegations against Jennings add to debates over how the media covers the Trump administration. Jennings, who served under George W. Bush before joining CNN, has become a prominent on-air defender of Trump’s policies and joined Trump at a rally in Warren, Michigan, in April 2025.
Interestingly, Jennings once criticized Trump strongly. In a CNN op-ed on Jan. 6, 2021, he wrote that “President Donald Trump caused this insurrection with his lies and conspiracy theories about the election process being rigged against him.”
Taylor departed the Trump administration in 2019. While still DHS chief of staff to Kirstjen Nielsen in September 2018, he published an anonymous New York Times op-ed describing himself as part of a covert “resistance” countering Trump’s “misguided impulses.” After leaving DHS he received the Distinguished Service Medal and later released an anonymous book, “A Warning,” in 2019, followed by a second book under his own name, “Blowback,” in 2023, warning of Trump’s possible return.
The administration’s probe into Taylor has, in his attorney Abbe Lowell’s words, amounted to a “textbook definition of political retribution.” In a June 3, 2025, letter to federal inspectors general, Lowell argued the memorandum singled out Taylor for criticizing the president.
The inquiry has upended Taylor’s personal life. His lawyers say he has faced threats and harassment, and former associates have lost jobs over their ties to him. Taylor told the Associated Press their lives experienced an “implosion.” He launched a legal fund, stepped away from work, and his wife returned to employment to help cover family expenses.
On the same April day, Trump signed a comparable order targeting Chris Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Trump had fired Krebs in November 2020 after Krebs disputed claims of widespread election fraud and called the 2020 vote “the most secure in American history.”
Despite the risks, Taylor says he won’t be silenced, warning that staying quiet would amount to cowering and would signal there are no consequences when this administration misuses its authority.
Following Taylor’s initial allegation, three other CNN figures have come forward supporting his account. Former Illinois congressman and CNN contributor Joe Walsh said he could verify Taylor’s description, calling Jennings “a fraud” and “an actor playing a role” who “doesn’t believe what he says.” Walsh also accused Jennings of using his influence to have him excluded from appearances on “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip.”
Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky posted on X that she personally witnessed Jennings criticizing Trump off-camera. She went further, claiming she was “banned” from CNN after publicly calling him out, with her last appearance coming just one day before she published a sharply worded Substack post criticizing both Jennings and the network.
Former CNN contributor Wajahat Ali also supported the claims, saying Jennings behaved similarly during his time at the network.
