CNN panel erupts when panelist asks why MN Democrats dress like 'Handmaid's Tale' to appease Somali community
Conservative commentator asks why liberal Democrats 'cater' to religious Somali community, sparking an argument
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A CNN panel erupted on Monday night after a conservative commentator called out the Minnesota lieutenant governor for appearing to wear a hijab.
Minnesota Democratic Lt. Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan was seen on a Somali TV station wearing what appears to be a hijab at a mall, as a widespread fraud scandal implicating some Somali residents plagues the state.
"The Somali community is part of the fabric of the state of Minnesota," Flanagan said, looking into the camera.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}For Muslim women, wearing a headscarf known as a hijab is typically a sign of obedience to God and worn to show modesty. Flanagan is a divorced and remarried Catholic who supports socially-liberal policies like transgender identity for children and abortion rights. The contrast between wearing conservative Muslim garb with socially-liberal policies became a contentious segment on "CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip."
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Conservative commentator Scott Jennings sparked an argument on CNN when he questioned why socially liberal Democrats pander to very religious Muslim populations. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
"The catering to the Somali community that goes on by the Democrats in Minnesota is a little weird, is it not?" Jennings asked. "They’ve got the lieutenant governor up there dressed like the Handmaid’s Tale."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jennings was referring to Margaret Atwood’s "The Handmaid’s Tale," a dystopian novel about life under a totalitarian theocracy where a class of women are forced to bear children amid a fertility crisis. Liberal protesters often wear the modest outfit with its red robes and bonnet as a visual shorthand to warn that America is set to become that same type of dystopia.
"Why do they cater to them?" Jennings asked. "It's such a small portion of the population. Democrats put them at the center of everything."
CNN host Abby Phillip balked at comparing the hijab to the handmaids' outfits.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I don't think it would be acceptable for you to make a statement like that about Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn. Why on earth is it acceptable to make a statement like that about people —," Phillip responded.
"It's a White liberal woman dressing in [a hijab]," Jennings interjected.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Minnesota Lt. Gov. and Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan appeared in a hijab on Somali TV as the state reels from a massive fraud scandal tied to a Somali-run nonprofit. (Somali TV Minnesota)
"You’re denigrating the religious practices of a group for no reason," Phillip argued.
"She's not religious," Jennings said.
A spokesperson representing Flanagan responded by telling Fox News Digital, "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. The real outrage should not be a scarf, but masked men throwing American citizens into vans and violating the constitution."
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Demonstrators dressed as handmaidens from "The Handmaid's Tale" take part in an anti-Trump protest marking one year since the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump, in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 5, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
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Fox News' Preston Mizell contributed to this report.