A past official from the Department of Homeland Security who worked under President Donald Trump has put forth explosive claims against a well-known CNN commentator, alleging the pundit privately ridicules the president while publicly supporting him on television.
Miles Taylor, who held the position of chief of staff at DHS during Trump’s first administration, ignited the dispute on social media Tuesday following a contentious exchange with Scott Jennings on CNN’s “NewsNight” the night before. 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 triggered a social media firestorm. New York Post reporter Lydia Moynihan came to Jennings’ defense, stating he is a man of conviction and that his political views are completely authentic. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) countered, posting: “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 has not publicly responded to Taylor’s allegation.
The dispute emerges as Taylor endures increasing pressure from the Trump administration. In April 2025, the president authorized a memorandum titled “Addressing Risks Associated with an Egregious Leaker and Disseminator of Falsehoods” that explicitly named Taylor and commanded various government agencies to examine his prior service. Trump publicly called Taylor “guilty of treason.”
Taylor’s claims about Jennings introduce a fresh angle to continuing discussions about media portrayal of the Trump administration. Jennings, who worked in the George W. Bush administration prior to joining CNN as a contributor, has emerged as one of cable news’ most prominent advocates of Trump’s policies. He formerly joined Trump at a rally in Warren, Michigan, in April 2025.
Significantly, Jennings himself previously condemned Trump severely. In a CNN op-ed on January 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. In September 2018, while continuing to serve as chief of staff to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, he penned an anonymous op-ed in the New York Times characterizing himself as part of a clandestine “resistance” to counteract Trump’s “misguided impulses.” After leaving DHS, Taylor was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. He later released an anonymous book titled “A Warning” in 2019, followed by a second book under his own name, “Blowback,” in 2023, which cautioned about Trump’s possible return to office.
The Trump administration’s probe into Taylor has produced what his attorney, experienced Washington lawyer Abbe Lowell, characterizes as a “textbook definition of political retribution.” In a letter to federal inspectors general dated June 3, 2025, Lowell maintained that the memorandum singled out Taylor for voicing criticism of the president.
The probe has destroyed Taylor’s personal life. His legal team has recorded threats and harassment, and previous colleagues have been terminated from government positions because of their associations with him. Taylor told the Associated Press there’s been an “implosion in our lives.” He started a fund to pay legal fees, stepped away from work, and his wife went back to work to help pay the family’s bills.
Trump authorized a comparable investigation order aimed at Chris Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, on the same April day. Trump fired Krebs in November 2020 after Krebs disputed the president’s claims of voting fraud in the 2020 election and called it “the most secure in American history.”
Despite the personal and professional risks, Taylor said he will not stay silent. He said the alternative would be to cower and give in, signaling that there are no consequences for this president and his administration when they abuse their powers.
Following Taylor’s original accusation, three more CNN personalities have stepped forward to validate his claim. Former Illinois congressman and CNN contributor Joe Walsh said he could confirm Taylor’s description, calling Jennings “a fraud” and “an actor playing a role” who “doesn’t believe what he says.”
Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky wrote on X that she personally witnessed Jennings criticize Trump in the green room “repeatedly.”
Former CNN contributor Wajahat Ali also backed the claims, writing that Jennings behaved the same way during his time at the network.
