Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway has drawn criticism from many in the media for having a tenuous relationship with the truth, which led to CNN’s refusal to interview her on the February 5 edition of State of the Union. Conway’s interview on the February 7 edition of The Lead with Jake Tapper serves as an example of why Conway’s credibility has become an issue that news outlets should take into consideration before booking her as a guest.
On February 6, Conway replied to a New York Times report that CNN had declined to have her on State of the Union due to “serious questions about her credibility” by tweeting that she “could do no live Sunday shows this week BC of family.” CNN replied that Conway “was offered to SOTU on Sunday by the White House. We passed. Those are the facts.” White House press secretary Sean Spicer then shared with the media his “understanding” that CNN had “walked back” the tweet, prompting the network to correct Spicer by stating that “CNN was clear, on the record about our concerns about Kellyanne Conway’s credibility … We have not ‘retracted’ nor ‘walked back’ those comments.”
. @KellyannePolls was offered to SOTU on Sunday by the White House. We passed. Those are the facts.
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) February 6, 2017
[Twitter, 2/6/17]
In response to @PressSec's comment today: pic.twitter.com/2IdzeyDEU5
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) February 7, 2017
[Twitter, 2/7/17]
Conway did appear on the February 7 edition of The Lead with Jake Tapper, for an interview that only confirmed her credibility issues. Despite Tapper’s pointed questioning, Conway repeatedly ducked the issues to promote the administration’s misinformation, and complain about being attacked by the media.
When Tapper challenged her on President Trump’s baseless assertion that CNN and mainstream media did not cover major terror attacks, Conway replied by saying Trump really meant that “we just can’t allow ourselves to become inured” to terrorism. Tapper acknowledged “that’s lovely spin, but that’s not what he was saying,” reasserting that Trump accused the media of “some sort of agenda.” Conway replied by attacking Hillary Clinton and discussing the alleged importance of saying the words “radical Islamic terrorism.”
Tapper asked Conway why Trump was so quick to comment on an attempted terror attack at the Louvre that did not kill anyone, but still had not commented on an attack by an alleged Trump supporter at a Quebec mosque that killed six. Conway did not respond to the question. Rather, she retorted that Trump “believes his executive order is not just within his authority but also his duty and responsibility to do what he sees best.”
Tapper then asked Conway about Trump’s claim of “the murder rate being at its highest level in 47 years,” a claim that is “not true,” which Tapper highlighted as part of “a larger campaign … to undermine the credibility of everybody in the news media, except for certain supportive outlets.” Conway responded with a complaint about her treatment in the media, saying, “I’m now being attacked by the media, including networks that are familiar to you, and I’m just going to keep soldiering on.” When Tapper again pressed her on the White House’s “war on people who are providing information,” she replied that “it has to go both ways,” and that some coverage “doesn't have a great deal of respect, I think, for the office of the president.”
Kellyanne Conway’s embarrassing interview was filled with more examples of misleading spin, joining “alternative facts” and the nonexistent “Bowling Green Massacre” as the latest examples of lies and misinformation Trump’s “propaganda minister” exploits to “barrel right past the boundaries of truth.” Kellyanne Conway’s media appearances prove that CNN is right to be wary of her credibility issues. Other media outlets should take note.