Scott Jennings, often seen as CNN’s conservative outlier, stirred controversy during a recent panel discussion when he drew an unexpected parallel between a Democratic lawmaker’s attire and the dystopian world of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The conversation centered around the Somali community in Minnesota, particularly in the wake of fraud allegations linked to Somali-run daycare centers in Minneapolis. During the discussion, Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan’s appearance on a Somali television station became a focal point, raising eyebrows among some panelists.

Jennings seized the moment to critique what he perceives as the Democratic Party’s overt support for the Somali community, which, despite being the largest Somali diaspora in the United States, constitutes a minor fraction of the state’s total population. “Isn’t it peculiar,” Jennings questioned, “how Democrats seem to cater so heavily to the Somali community?” He went further, controversially comparing the lieutenant governor’s choice to wear a headscarf to the attire depicted in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

The comparison to “The Handmaid’s Tale” is particularly striking given the novel’s depiction of a repressive society where women are subjugated. This imagery, immortalized in the award-winning television adaptation, features women in symbolic white bonnets. Jennings’s remarks sparked immediate backlash from fellow panelists, with one explicitly denouncing his comments as inappropriate. Host Abby Phillip stepped in to address the situation, hinting at the racial undertones of Jennings’s analogy, which many found unsettling.

As the panelists talked over one another, Philip pointed out that it wouldn’t be acceptable for a similar statement about Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn. ‘You’re describing the type of dress as The Handmaid’s Tale, and you’re doing that to denigrate the religion of a group of people,’ Philip continued. ‘It wouldn’t be acceptable if you did it with another group. So don’t – just don’t do it when it comes to Muslim people, that’s not okay.’

Jennings argued that Flanagan wasn’t a Muslim woman, and he was attempting to point out that Minnesota Democrats put the Somali community at the ‘center’ of their party. ‘It’s a small portion of the population. There’s a bunch of fraud that goes on, and even Tim Walz has claimed that any investigation of fraud is akin to white supremacy,’ Jennings said. Philip fired back that Walz never made that claim, and that the governor encouraged investigations into the alleged fraud involving Somali migrants. ‘While the Lt. 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,’ a spokesperson for Flanagan told the Daily Mail. ‘The real outrage should not be a scarf, but masked men throwing American citizens into vans and violating the constitution.’

Flanagan had worn the headscarf during a tour of the Karmel Market, a hub for the Somali community in Minneapolis. ‘I am incredibly clear that the Somali community is part of the fabric of the state of Minnesota,’ Flanagan said in a video aired on Somali-language television. ‘Being part of Minnesota and growing up here, the Somali community has always been a part of my Minnesota,’ she continued. ‘So, I wanted to encourage the community to just know that we’re with you, we’ve got your back.’ Flanagan is currently serving under Governor Tim Walz, but is running for the US Senate. She is a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and is the highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office.