Kellyanne Conway Squirms During Cuomo Grilling Over Russia: ‘Nice, Insult the Audience, Very Nice’
Kellyanne Conway joined Chris Cuomo on CNN’s New Day today, and that can only mean one thing: an extensive MAGA VS Media slugfest in which neither side gives an inch.
As President Donald Trump prepares to deliver his State of the Union address, Cuomo and Conway discussed whether the president will call for bipartisan unity tonight. The White House special counselor gloated about the president’s tax reform efforts and plans for infrastructure, though Cuomo noted that current political divisions could make it very difficult for the administration to get their future plans moving along.
Of course, Russia was eventually going to come up in this conversation, and Cuomo asked Conway why Trump is able to make time to spar with Jay Z but not get tough on Russia for their latest acts of aggression against American forces. This discussion moved from why Trump is reluctant to enforce new sanctions against Russia, to what the White House will do about the Kremlin’s interference in the 2016 election.
Here’s how that went:
Conway: What did they do in the election?
Cuomo: They interfered with this election and tried to disrupt our democracy and they’re doing it right now.
Conway: Do you think that’s why he won and why the person whose name I never mention on TV anymore lost?
Cuomo: No, I don’t but I think you going there by default explains why there’s such resistance to doing anything about the Russian interference. Leave it alone. He won. Punish them for what they did.
Conway accused Cuomo of talking about Russian interference literally all the time, which led the CNN anchor to say that the White House refuses to acknowledge what pro-Russian actors are trying to do every day. Conway continued to defend Trump’s record on being tough with Russia, and when Cuomo argued that Trump has never forced Russia to pay a price for their political misbehavior, Conway retorted with this:
“Do you feel the least bit pushed back or a little ashamed that we’ve had person after person on your network and elsewhere for a year…promising Russian collusion, impeachment, treason is coming around the corner?”
Conway pivoted afterwards to how the Trump Administration has invited everyday Americans to tonight’s speech, and she took umbrage with Cuomo saying they are “[using] people’s character and their pain as cover.” After another sparring match on how addressing the Russia issue is just as important as the economy or terrorism, Cuomo and Conway concluded by…well, here’s another transcript:
Conway: Everybody who said Donald Trump couldn’t win, everybody who said the election was all wrapped up, every screaming headline, every wrong poll, every anchor, every pundit who said this is over,it’s a joke, he can’t win…tried to interfere in the election
Cuomo: Oh, please. You’re going to put them on the same…
Conway: And it didn’t work. I didn’t say that they were in the same page. Get out of bed, go breathe air and have a great day.
Cuomo: Nice. Insult the audience, very nice.
Conway: Love the audience.
Watch above, via CNN.
[Image via screengrab]
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