Former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.) has had a tumultuous start to his stint as a CNN commentator, and the network wasn't afraid to call him out for controversial comments he made on air Tuesday morning.
Duffy argued that the National Security Council's top Ukraine expert Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman — who will become the first sitting White House official to testify in the House impeachment inquiry Tuesday and is expected to tell investigators he was concerned about President Trump's phone call in July with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — might be biased because he was born in Ukraine. Duffy indicated Vindman may have an extraordinary affinity for the country, perhaps surpassing his sympathy for the United States.
CNN host John Berman didn't have much patience for the comment and grilled Duffy over why he noted that Vindman, an Iraq War veteran with a Purple Heart, was a Ukrainian immigrant. "That's a pretty stunning comment you made just there," Berman said, also pointing out that staunch Trump supporter Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) was born in France.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Strangely, after Duffy's appearance, CNN re-aired its own contributor's comments while Berman continued to criticize him. Tim O'Donnell
-
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon's risky missionTalking Point Iran-backed militia has brought 'nothing but war, division and misery', but rooting them out for good is a daunting and dangerous task
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogsThe Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?
-
Crossword: August 31, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revoltSpeed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich throwerSpeed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodusSpeed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official saysSpeed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judgesSpeed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policingSpeed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookSpeed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportationSpeed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
