As part of an interview for a profile of CNN’s Chris Cuomo which we recently published, the New Day anchor recalled his memorable on-air battles with, among others, former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci. And in a portion of the conversation which was left on the cutting room floor, Cuomo told Mediaite that he takes pride in the fact that even the interview subjects on whom he’s the toughest keep returning to the show.
“They always come back,” Cuomo told Mediaite.
On Tuesday, Scaramucci came back for a rare interview since the end of his short-lived stint as communications director. And Cuomo, as ever, was absolutely relentless on several lines of inquiry. Notably, the New Day anchor pressed Scaramucci on President Donald Trump’s reported denials of the authenticity of the infamous Access Hollywood tape.
“I’ve been away,” Scaramucci told Cuomo, slyly. “Is it confirmed the president said it wasn’t real?”
Cuomo told Scaramucci that Trump’s claim has been reported, and was not denied during Monday’s White House briefing.
“I will go back to the President on October 7th…where he gave his apology,” Scaramucci said. He added, “He acknowledged it and offered his apology. I will go back to that. That’s what I remember.”
The New Day anchor — who, a day earlier, delivered a harsh commentary on the subject
“The reason you can’t let it go is because this is a big fat lie, — this Access Hollywood tape is inauthentic, we should question it,” Cuomo said. “It’s a lie. It’s done to deceive, it’s done to effect the minds of a certain part of the population. It’s cheap and it’s unnecessary. And if he’ll lie about this, what else will he lie about that matters? That’s why you must call it out.”
From there, the conversation shifted to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, whose performance Scaramucci commended. The discussion on Sanders, though, was highlighted by this telling exchange.
“You think she tells the truth?” Cuomo asked.
“I think she does the best of her ability to tell the truth, but also to protect the President,” Scaramucci said. “And so I think that there’s a fine line to draw between those two things.”
Watch above, via CNN.
[featured image via screengrab]
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