Fmr White House Aide Cliff Sims on Why Kellyanne Conway’s Not Been Fired: Television Loyalty Matters to Trump

Former White House aide and author of a new Trump tell-all Team of Vipers Cliff Sims sat down with Stephen Colbert to talk about his new book on Monday.

He also talked about the moment — which he tells about in his book — where he caught White House counselor Kellyanne Conway leaking to the press.

Conway “calls me upstairs to write a response to some show hosts who were saying that off-air she was trashing the president and wanted me to help her craft a response to that,” Sims  said. “I’m sitting on her Apple laptop in her office trying to type this up and she forgets that she’s sitting there at her desk typing on her iPhone which is synced to her computer. Not good, Stephen, not good.”

He added: “It’s a great lesson for everyone. Nothing accidentally good ever happens from synced i-messages.”

Sims continued on: “I’m watching her talk to reporter after reporter and trash her colleagues and even not painting the president in a favorable light, and basically I’m supposed to be writing a statement defending her against exactly what she’s doing in that very moment.”

Colbert then asked if Trump hates leakers, why doesn’t he trash or even fire Conway.

“One of the things I try to do in this book is help people understand what makes Donald Trump tick and one of the things that I think is true about Kellyanne and others… one thing never goes out of style in the Trump White House is someone who’s willing to go out on TV and fight it out with somebody,” he replied. “He knows she will go out there on any show and defend him.”

“So private loyalty doesn’t matter but public loyalty on television is more important,” Colbert asked.

“I think there’s no doubt that public loyalty to the president is of utmost importance to him,” the former staffer turned author said.

Watch above, via CBS

 

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