The Trump White House may have new discipline, thanks to Chief of Staff John Kelly. But that message hasn't gotten to Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, who seems stuck in the past. She resorted to changing the subject and bashing Democrats when asked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos about the Russia investigation.

"The entire Russia investigation is a hypothetical," Conway said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "The president has called it a fiction, a total fabrication to excuse the colossal and unexpected, unwanted defeat of Hillary Clinton in last year's election. People just can't get over that election, George. It's corrosive to our body politic."


But the election is in the past, and the Russia question transcends the tired Republican-vs.-Democrat bickering that has filled many TV hours. Most people want answers about what happened in 2016 and assurances that such meddling can't happen again.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" that the Russia investigation was not a fishing expedition.

Conway said that the White House will "cooperate however best we can" if Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues the Russia investigation.

But then she repeated that "the president is not a target of any investigation. Jim Comey told him that as FBI director three times and he had -- he assured that under oath."

Stephanopoulos, however, noted: "That may have been overtaken by events now, and we'll see whether the special counsel is indeed looking at obstruction, including the president."

When Stephanopoulos highlighted the conflicting stories coming out of the White House about Russia, Conway shifted to … Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

"Well, let's talk about telling the truth," she said. "Let's talk about a president looking Americans in the eye, who are still suffering eight years later, who were lied to. If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. Benghazi happened because of a video. Go tell the families of those four innocent Americans…"

A frustrated Stephanopoulos replied: "Kellyanne, you're simply changing the subject."

Stephanopoulos wanted to know if Trump would commit to not firing Mueller. "The president has not even discussed that. The president is not discussing firing Bob Mueller," she said.

And yet Conway reviewed the investigation, said no conclusion was proved so far and complained that "we were promised Watergate."

"What about Adam Schiff and Mark Warner, the two Democrats who are in charge of the intelligence committee? They spend more time on TV than they do interviewing witnesses," Conway complained. "What is this investigation really about? It's about an excuse for the Democrats who have no vision."

Do you think Robert Mueller sees it that way?

Conway seems stuck in a "Groundhog Day" loop while the world has moved on.

hboedeker@orlandosentinel.com and 407-420-5756.