Asked Why the President’s Lawyer Lied About Trump Jr. Meeting, Kellyanne Conway Says, ‘Benghazi’

George Stephanopoulos, host of ABC News’ This Week, was clearly annoyed at the evasiveness of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Sunday, whose job at this point seems to be providing anything but genuine answers to reporters’ questions.


Two things particularly set the straight–shooting Stephanopoulos off: One was Conway’s refusal to answer why the president’s attorney, Jay Sekulow, lied about the president’s involvement in a statement put out by Donald Trump Jr. regarding the now infamous Trump Tower meeting with Russian operatives. The second was when Stephanopoulos demanded an assurance that President Trump wouldn’t fire special counsel Robert Mueller.

“A story broke in The New York Times saying the president was involved in the drafting of his son Don Jr.’s misleading response to that meeting he had with Russians during the campaign, and Jay Sekulow, the president’s attorney, came on [inaudible] and told me this, saying the president’s not involved,” Stephanopoulos said.

He then played a clip of White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders contradicting Sekulow and admitting that Trump in fact was involved in drafting his son’s statement about the Russia meeting (which should have been clear judging by how quickly it blew up in their faces).

“Two very different answers in the space of two weeks there, Kellyanne,” Stephanopoulos said.

After repeating the White House’s (and Fox News’) talking point that “the president weighed in as a father,” which didn’t seem to satisfy the ABC anchor, Conway tried a different, but by now familiar approach: blaming President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and…Benghazi.

“Benghazi happened because of a video,” Conway said. “Go tell the families of the four innocent Americans…” At this point, Stephanopoulos interrupted before she could finish the thought, saying, “Kellyanne, you’re simply changing the subject here.”


Later in the interview, Stephanopoulos, visibly frustrated, cut straight to the point: “Bottom line, Kellyanne, does the president commit to not firing Robert Mueller?”


Weekend Editor, Splinter