Conservative pundit Scott Jennings has leapt to the defense of CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss after the MAGA-curious boss was met with backlash over coverage of the war in Iran.
Jennings, 48, praised Weiss on X, responding to a Semafor article about the new CBS leader’s vociferous approach to U.S. intervention in Iran. The article described “frustrated” staffers within the CBS newsroom and called Weiss “zealous” for unapologetically reposting a clip of Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad condemning New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s critique of the U.S.-Israeli strikes. Weiss added a fire emoji to her repost.
“At times, the CBS editor-in-chief has seemed to be more in touch with the changing geopolitical dynamics in Trump’s Washington than other international journalists in the newsroom,” wrote Jewish Insider editor-in-chief and Fox News analyst Josh Kaurshaar on X, quoting from the Semafor piece.
In response to his Kaurshaar’s post, Jennings stood by Weiss, 41, seemingly unprompted.
“the person running a newsroom in touch with where the news is being made, and with half the country that is constantly neglected? sounds like ... a good thing, @bariweiss!”
Alinejad was invited to CBS to respond to Mamdani’s statement on Iran, in which the mayor described the strikes as “a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression.”
“Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace,” the mayor wrote.
The Iranian commentator appeared outraged on a CBS News 24/7 segment, addressing Mamdani directly. “I know maybe you and many other people, they hate President Trump,” she said. “But believe me, this is not the right time to shift your hatred and your anger from President Trump to the people of Iran, innocent people. We are better allies to you, America, compared to these backward mullahs.”
Weiss reposted this clip in addition to another video of Alinejad celebrating the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli air strike on Saturday. In the video, Alinejad, who was named a CBS contributor in January, is seen shouting in the streets, “Oh my God, I love America, thank you. Ali Khamenei is dead!”
CBS and CNN did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Jennings may have a thoughtful intent behind his compliments for Weiss, a fellow Trump-friendly media personality whom the president has called a “great new leader.” The longtime CNN MAGA panelist has been eyeing a move to Weiss’s network, reportedly meeting Weiss at CBS’s New York headquarters in October. Jennings is not a permanent CNN employee and is therefore not restricted to the network, where he frequently clashes with fellow panelists and praises the president.
Meanwhile, Paramount, the billionaire-owned parent company of CBS, has cinched a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, which houses CNN in its entertainment library. CNN staffers are allegedly “devastated” by the pending merger, dreading the possibility of following in CBS’s footsteps.
