‘Do you mind pausing?’ CNN host shuts down MAGA guest smearing Gavin Newsom’s wife

CNN’s Audie Cornish cut off a MAGA guest for airing unverified allegations against Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California’s governor.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that he and his wife were under federal investigation and accused President Donald Trump of weaponizing the Justice Department against his family for political reasons, and Penny Young Nance, president and CEO of Concerned Women for America, took delight in the news and suggested the California Democrat did, as well.

“He is loving this, by the way,” Nance said. “It makes him more interesting, it brings him back into the news. He’s having a great day today. But the truth is what this started under Joe Biden. This whole investigation started, but the timing is really good for Gavin Newsom to announce it right now, and the issue is $3.7 million that went into the coffers of the Rep Project, which is a Jennifer Newsom project. By the way, I full disclosure, served on a board with her.”

Nance seemed to be commenting on unverified claims circulating on social media that Newsom and his wife had pocketed $3.7 million from the nonprofit Representation Project, which is dedicated to fighting gender stereotypes, but Cornish interrupted and asked her to stop.

“Do you mind pausing?” Cornish said. “Because we don’t have confirmation and I do not know if this is true right now, because we literally are not hearing anything. I don’t want to be talking about Newsom’s wife as though she has committed crimes. When we have not heard this, and I want to understand, though, why Newsom would come out ahead of an investigation to talk about it.”

Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha offered an explanation.

“Presidential politics are about two things: It’s about money and votes, and he’s working on both right now,” Rocha said. “He wants to get out and try to make himself be a victim. We’ve seen politicians, some of which may be in the White House, always want to be the victim of press or whatever investigation may be happening, and Newsom is positioning himself politically to do that, and as a consultant, it’s a chef’s kiss, is what this is, a chef’s kiss of getting ahead of it on camera with the flags behind him. I’m surprised he hasn’t run away to another country saying, I’m going to go into exile until Donald Trump leaves me alone and tweet it out.”