Top White House adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared on CNN’s “The Lead” Tuesday in a 25-minute, must-see interview with Jake Tapper where they discussed President Donald Trump’s falsehoods and the administration’s treatment of the press.
“I don’t think CNN is ‘fake news.’ I think there are some reports everywhere, in print, on TV, on radio, in conversation, that are not well-researched and are sometimes based on falsehoods,” Conway said.
Conway conceded this as even as Trump has continually slammed major media organizations, including CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post, as “fake news.”
The interview included some concessions from Conway, who said she was “trying to reach out” and “put out the olive branch.”
Tapper asked Conway about some of Trump’s false claims, including his Tuesday claim that the murder rate was at the highest point in 47 years — which is wrong.
“Everyday there are these sprays of attack and sprays of falsehoods coming from the White House. It would be better if they were not coming from the White House, for me and for you,” Tapper said, adding that it inhibits news organizations’ ability to focus solely on policy.
“Agreed, and let me just say it has to go both ways. I do, Jake, I sincerely don’t see a lot of difference in coverage from when he was a candidate and when he became the Republican nominee, the president-elect and, indeed the President,” Conway said.
Conway also apologized for shaming the press for not covering the “Bowling Green Massacre,” an incident which did not occur.
“I regretted it tremendously,” Conway said. “I felt really badly about that.”