In the hours since the story broke that Donald Trump fired James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), cable news has dedicated all of their coverage to the news in question. As the White House does their best to control the narrative, Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway didn't do the president any favors during an interview on CNN.
Conway on CNN
Over the last two years, Donald Trump has done his best to control the media's message surrounding his campaign and now administration. Once it became apparent early on in the 2016 presidential election that the press was not going to be in his pocket, Trump decided to hit back at the media.
It became routine for the former host of "The Apprentice" to label any report he didn't agree with as "fake news," while referring to journalists as "terrible people." The feud between the press and the president has only increased in recent months, with the Russian scandal growing by the day. One of the biggest issues has been linked back to James Comey, who was attacked by liberals who accused him of tipping the scales in favor of Trump during the election by bringing up Hillary Clinton's email issues so late in the race. Lately, Comey has been viewed as a negative on the political right, as he has led the charge in investigating what role Russia played in the election, including in possibly helping the Trump campaign gain an advantage.
With drama surrounding Comey from all sides, Trump surprised many by firing him from his job as head of the FBI. As seen on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" on May 9, Kellyanne Conway had a hard time defending the president's decision.
Kellyanne Conway on Sen. Schumer calling the firing of FBI Director James Comey a 'cover up': "He's wrong" https://t.co/WSOZ3MimVl
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) May 10, 2017
Joining CNN host Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night was Kellyanne Conway, as the two went back and forth over the timing of James Comey's firing.
Cooper quickly brought up Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer's remarks, who accused the White House of a "cover-up" in terminating Comey. "He's wrong. It's not a cover-up," Conway said. "The president makes it very clear in his letter the fact that Mr. Comey, on at least three occasions, assured the president that he is not under investigation." When Cooper asked for a more elaborate answer, Conway simply replied, "that's between the President of the United States and director Comey.
Kellyanne Conway defends firing of James Comey in tense exchange with CNN’s @andersoncooper https://t.co/nSCe2AvJTQ https://t.co/jpO796Bwt4
— CNN (@CNN) May 10, 2017
"Clearly, the White House is under investigation," Anderson Cooper said, before adding, "the people around the president are under investigation." When asking if Kellyanne Conway at least agreed with that, the presidential counsel pushed back. "No, I don't. I know some are obsessed with the word 'Russia,'" she replied. "The president is not under investigation. I'm around the president, I'm not under investigation," Conway continued. As Cooper kept his cool, Conway appeared to grow frustrated over the issue, which continued until the conclusion of the interview.
Kellyanne Conway on Trump's past praise for Comey: "You're conflating two things that don't belong together" https://t.co/1LAxSSoYNg
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 10, 2017
Moving forward
While Kellyanne Conway does her best to defend Donald Trump, the pressure continues to mount on the White House to defend themselves and the president over the issue of Russia. Conway's appearance on CNN is a rarity as of late, as most Trump advisers have been isolated to appearances on the more conservative Fox News, and after her one-on-one with Anderson Cooper, it's not hard to see why.
