Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins reprimanded CNN during a tense exchange on the network – accusing the news outlet of being “hostile” towards veterans and reminding viewers that CNN was found to have defamed U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young.
During a Wednesday interview with CNN host Kaitlan Collins, the VA secretary refused to answer a question about Trump officials using the messaging app Signal to discuss intricate details of an attack on Houthi targets in Yemen.
Doug Collins repeatedly claimed that he had already spoken out on the Signal controversy and stressed his interest in answering questions about his job and veterans.
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“I have a question as VA secretary… I want to ask you because I’ve been curious about this because my job is to take care of veterans, and I would like to know why CNN is hostile to veterans – especially one in Florida who you just had a $5 million defamation suit. Taking offense at a veteran who was trying to help people,” the secretary said.
Doug Collins then questioned if CNN is really concerned about veterans and said he would like to hear why the network “seems to have a problem” with those who have served the United States.
“Well, Mr. Secretary, respectfully, my question was about whether or not you, as a member of the cabinet, use [Signal] and respectfully, I’m conducting the investigation and I do have a lot of questions for you on veterans affairs, but I don’t think it would be what you want – ,” Kaitlan Collins said before the VA secretary interjected.
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“No, Kaitlan. What you want to do is talk about a subject that I’ve already answered, and If you want to continue this like this, that’s fine, but there are VA employees who are working very hard. There are veterans who get their care from the VA, and they get their benefits from the VA,” he replied.
Doug Collins then urged the CNN host to answer his questions and reveal whether the CNN employee, who in a message exchange said he would “nail” the veteran at the center of the defamation case, is still employed at the network.
A Bay County, Florida jury found that CNN committed defamation against Young and was responsible for punitive damages in January after more than eight hours of deliberation.
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The six-person jury ruled Young was awarded $4 million in lost earnings, $1 million in personal damages such as pain and suffering and said that punitive damages are warranted against CNN. As the jury was gearing up to determine punitive damages, 14th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William S. Henry announced that Young and CNN had reached a settlement for the amount that would be awarded to the Navy veteran.
Young successfully alleged that CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan on the “black market” during the Biden administration’s military withdrawal from the country in 2021.
Young claimed CNN “destroyed his reputation and business” by branding him an illegal profiteer” who exploited “desperate Afghans” during a November 11, 2021, report by Alex Marquardt that first aired on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”
Marquardt’s own message telling a colleague, “We’re gonna nail this Zachary Young mf—er,” was often cited throughout the trial. In another internal message shown to jurors, he wrote, “It’s your funeral bucko.”
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Young was thrilled to see Collins call out CNN.
“I am grateful to Secretary Collins for calling out CNN for what they did to me and the concern he obviously has for veterans like me,” Young told Fox News Digital.
“I was not surprised when Kaitlan simply ignored his very good question about why Marquardt would still be employed after a jury found that he and others at CNN knowingly and maliciously lied for the purpose of harming me,” Young continued. “This tracks with CNN’s unwillingness to report on my lawsuit through three years of litigation as well as their post-trial comments.”
Marquardt remains CNN’s chief national security correspondent.
Following the trial, a spokesperson for CNN said in a statement, “We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case.”
Young believes it’s hypocritical of the network’s pundits to express concern about veterans “considering CNN deliberately and maliciously tried to ‘nail’ me and organize my ‘funeral.’”
“I am pleased to see them called out on their own network,” Young said.
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