VA Head Confronts CNN Host "Answer My Question, Kaitlan'

An interview on CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” took a contentious turn when U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins clashed with host Kaitlan Collins. 

The exchange, which aired live, began with Kaitlan Collins pressing the VA Secretary about a recent controversy involving a Signal group chat scandal tied to the Trump administration—a topic Doug Collins stated he was not involved in. Rather than engaging further on that issue, he pivoted sharply, turning the tables on the CNN anchor by raising a pointed question about her network’s credibility.

Doug Collins challenged Kaitlan by asking why CNN appeared “hostile to veterans,” specifically referencing a $5 million defamation lawsuit settled by CNN in January 2020. This lawsuit stemmed from a 2018 incident where CNN aired a segment suggesting that Navy veteran Zachary Young, who ran a company assisting people fleeing Afghanistan, was involved in illegal “black market” activities. Young sued CNN for defamation, and a Florida jury awarded him $5 million in compensatory damages in November 2024, with the case settling shortly after for an undisclosed amount. Doug Collins seized on this, demanding to know if the employee responsible for the segment was still at CNN and pressing Kaitlan on whether the network genuinely cared about veterans.

VA Secretary Doug Collins just HUMILIATED Kaitlan Collins on her own platform:

“I would like to know why CNN is hostile to veterans … especially one in Florida, where you just had a $5 million defamation suit.”

She is catching L’s left and right.
pic.twitter.com/wDvvM2ObJp

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 27, 2025

The VA Secretary’s line of attack caught Kaitlan off guard. She attempted to redirect the conversation, insisting her questions were about the Signal chat issue and that she had no personal involvement in the lawsuit. 

However, Doug Collins persisted, interrupting her with, “Answer my question, Kaitlan!” and accusing CNN of dodging accountability. He argued that his role was to protect veterans, contrasting it with what he portrayed as CNN’s antagonistic stance, leveraging the lawsuit as evidence. Kaitlan maintained her composure, noting respectfully that she was the one asking questions, but the exchange grew heated, with Doug Collins refusing to back down.