Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway has not been on TV for over a week, and a CNN report confirmed that she had been banned from making on-camera appearances by Donald Trump. Despite this, Conway is pushing back and disputing the reports.
Conway disputes
Ever since the election of Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway has increased her presence on cable news and Sunday talk shows. However, with being in the spotlight has come its disadvantages. Earlier this month, Conway came under fire in her attempt to justify the controversial "Muslim ban" executive order, citing the nonexistent "Bowling Green Massacre." Fact-checkers, journalists, and social media users made the story go viral, which embarrassed the White House in the process.
Prior to those comments, Conway was also criticized for her use of the term "alternative facts" to describe the falsehoods coming out of the administration. After making conflicting remarks about the exit of retired Gen. Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser, Conway was pulled from TV interviews, according to CNN on Wednesday. As reported by Mediaite on February 22, the former Trump campaign manager is speaking out.
Kellyanne Conway Responds to Report She's Been 'Sidelined' from TV Appearances https://t.co/YBWSw2Kg9a pic.twitter.com/5URvfG2v0M
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) February 22, 2017
Just moments after the report broke from CNN that Kellyanne Conway was pulled from on-camera appearances due to being "off message" and at odds with the White House, the presidential counsel chimed in.
As pointed out by NBC producer Jesse Rodriguez, via a report by host Hallie Jackson, Conway is denying that she has been banned from making TV appearances, and that she might even appear on Fox News on Wednesday night. Speaking to CNN's Dylan Byers, Conway claims that she's been "invited on shows every day" but that she is trying to "focus on other pieces of my portfolio."
.@HallieJackson says @KellyannePolls tells her this story is not true... "in fact she might be doing TV later tonight" https://t.co/QFc36vM4PN
— Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) February 22, 2017
Double down
Dylan Byers was the one who originally broke the story, and fired back at Kellyanne Conway's response.
"Alas, it is true. She hasn’t been on TV for over a week. Fact they might put her back on TV at some point doesn’t change that," Byers tweeted out. In a follow-up message on Twitter, Byers continued to defend his reporting.
Alas, it is true. She hasn’t been on TV for over a week. Fact they might put her back on TV at some point doesn’t change that. https://t.co/jlSoixx5Fc
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) February 22, 2017
You do have to admire the White House press strategy… Don’t respond til after the story posts, then do something to imply it’s not true...
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) February 22, 2017
Conway tells me: "I've been invited on shows every day... I'm trying to focus on other pieces of my portfolio” https://t.co/2n8ffXFO8l
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) February 22, 2017
"You do have to admire the White House press strategy," he wrote, before adding, "Don’t respond til after the story posts, then do something to imply it’s not true." While Conway could be a guest on Fox News later tonight, the CNN reporting confirmed that she was banned from television by the administration, who is likely looking to reverse course since the news was leaked to the public.