Republican strategist Scott Jennings challenged CNN NewsNight guest host Audie Cornish on Tuesday night after she suggested that viewing Jordan Neely as a victim was “a Christian thing.”

Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with a lengthy criminal record, died on May 1, 2023, after being restrained by Marine Corps veteran Daniel Penny, who intervened in response to what he described as Neely’s “threatening” behavior on a New York City subway.

During a discussion on the incident, Cornish referenced religion after Jennings questioned whether Neely should be considered the “victim” in the situation.

“You keep referring — you keep referring to Neely as the victim,” Jennings said. “I think Penny is the victim in this case, and I think the people on that — I think people on the train are the victims.”

“I have a tendency to call the people who die a victim,” Cornish responded. “We have different ideas about that. But to my mind, someone lost a child and I’m always going to feel for that person. That’s just how I’m built. It’s like a Christian thing.”

Jennings, who previously clashed with panelists on CNN about Penny, immediately interjected following those comments.

“Are you saying — are you saying I’m not a Christian?” Jennings asked, with Cornish responding defensively, “I’m not at all. I just want to make sure that you understand it’s a values-based comment, not a political one.”

“Are you saying I don’t have any values?” Jennings shot back at Cornish, prompting former CNN host John Avlon, who ran for a seat in the House of Representatives as a Democrat, to interject and claim, “No, Scott, she is not saying that. Stop it.”

WATCH:

A Manhattan jury on Monday acquitted Penny of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, following a judge’s dismissal of a manslaughter charge against the Marine veteran on Friday.

Penny still faces a civil lawsuit filed by Neely’s father who seemingly appeared out of nowhere after the jury’s decision.