‘Too many white men’: A MAGA CNN commentator blames DEI for California wildfires

Scott Jennings, a senior political commentator at CNN, just placed the blame on DEI hiring during a discussion about the wildfires currently scorching through Southern California. Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett was having none of this, and effectively shut down Jennings’ out-of-pocket statements by sharing a few facts of her own.

Multiple wildfires engulfed the Southern California area on January 7, requiring the aid of more than 7,500 firefighting personnel to help quell the ongoing natural disaster, according to The Independent. In CNN’s coverage of the chaos, Jennings grossly suggested the severity of the fires could be accredited to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring, referencing a previous news story that he claims pointed out there were “too many white men” working as firefighters. He went on, “We have DEI, we have budget cuts, and yet I’m wondering now if your house is burning down, how much do you care what color the firefighters are?”

Other commentators present, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), weren’t going to let that microaggression slide. Crockett clapped back against the MAGA pundit’s comment, starting off by stating she’s “so tired” of conservatives looking for ways to blame DEI programs and taking the opportunity to address the implied misogynoir in Jennings’ statement at the same time.

“There was an article that just came out that said that, actually, the most educated demographic in this country right now is Black women,” Crockett noted, adding, “Because you are a woman–because I know that some of the right has been sharing these photos of the fact that I believe that the fire chief may be a woman, or something–that has nothing to do with it.” She went on, “We are looking at qualifications. What diversity, equity, and inclusion has always been about is saying, ‘You know what? Open this up. Don’t just look at the White men; open it up and recognize that other people can be qualified.'”

Crocket masterfully dismantled the crux of Jennings’ argument, breaking down exactly what’s wrong with anti-DEI rhetoric, particularly “at a time when people are dying.” Crockett highlighted the logical fallacy in the commentator’s suggestion that “a country of immigrants is failing or people are dying” because of the very same group of people who built it. She posited, “It was my ancestors that built the White House,” elaborating, “If we have been good enough to build this country, we’re good enough to serve and die overseas, we are good enough to serve in other ways.”

This was enough to keep Jennings silent, but Crockett really put a cork in the conversation with her closing statement, “Stop trying to act as if White men are the only ones that are capable because right now, you’re sitting at a table with three very capable Black women.” The way Jennings smacked his lips would have you waiting for the mic to drop.

Some commenters on X insist Jennings’ initial statement was well-intentioned, but no matter how you look at it, his comment was giving Kelly Osbourne infamously asking Trump who would clean his toilets if he were to “kick every Latino out of this country.” The fact of the matter is MAGA has made a point to attack DEI programming for some time, and Jennings wasn’t the first or even the last to continue pointing fingers as wildfires devastate Southern California. Racist rhetoric isn’t helping anyone, so if you want to lend a hand, there’s plenty you can do to reach out to those who need it.