Appearing on Wednesday night’s Cuomo Prime Time, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tore into host Chris Cuomo. Sanders blasted Cuomo and his network for not covering the Veterans Affairs Reform Bill signed earlier that day.
Cuomo was much more interested in discussing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of the Trump administration and firmly establishing the new show’s place on the CNN roster as a leftist platform. Sanders was having none of that, however, and put Cuomo on the ropes:
“I wish that we spent a lot less time focused on things the American people don't care about. I wish we spent a lot less time talking about this witch hunt and that we talked about things that impact everyday Americans. I wish we spent a lot more time talking about the economy. I wish that your network had spent a lot more time today covering a very important piece of legislation that the president signed when he spent a good bit of time this afternoon talking about the importance of veterans choice act that he signed into law today. And your network didn't even take that. I wish those were the things that we spent time talking about.”
Sanders is correct. After researching the amount of time CNN spent covering the VA Bill prior to her interview with Cuomo, NewsBusters discovered that the cable channel spent exactly 9 seconds on the story. Only a single sentence was offered by anchor John King [June 6, 12:50:09] mentioning the president signing the important legislation:
“Tapping our political radar today. Just moments ago, President Trump signing the V.A. Mission Act. It's aim giving veterans that better access health care options to get that care in the private sector.”
Later in the Wednesday night interview, when Cuomo brought up Mueller’s status as a veteran, Sanders again took the opportunity to remind Cuomo just how much CNN cares about former service members, “I’m glad you want to mention the veterans now, but didn’t want to cover it when we were actually providing greater choice--.” Cuomo took it personally, “Have I ever taken you a cheap shot at you? Why would you say that we wouldn't support the veterans?”
Perhaps the 9 seconds of coverage would explain why.
Read the full transcript of the June 6 interview below:
Cuomo Prime Time
6/06/18
9:04 PM EST
CHRIS CUOMO: I get it. I didn't have them. But I understand what you're saying about CNN. Why is it a legal matter, what you said?
SARAH SANDERS: Again, this is an illegal process and I would refer you to the appropriate venue to answer questions on a legal back and forth. And that is the President's outside counsel. And that's who you should ask those questions of. If you guys want to talk about questions that have to do with White House policy and substantive policy, I'm happy to try to answer those and do the best I can to provide you that information. If you want to talk about things that don't have anything to do with me, uh, and that --
CUOMO: Except it does. Because this is what you said.
SANDERS: -- The outside counsel, that's who should answer those questions.
CUOMO: I get it. I get that that's the answer. But you also get it's unsatisfying. Right? That's why we're frozen.
SANDERS: I don't understand having to answer the same question over and over and over again.
CUOMO: Because you haven't answered it. That's why. In all due respect its becasue you didn't answer it.
SANDERS: No that's not true. I answered it and you don't like the answer. There's a big difference between me answering it and you not liking the answer.
CUOMO: Fair point. There can be a difference, however, I don't know that there is here. Because this is about something you said. You could have said this then. When people asked you, hey, what Sekulow said, is it right? Why didn't you say then it's a matter for counsel?
SANDERS: Again, I'm not going to get into a back and forth with you. I've addressed it. The outside counsel has addressed it. They've answered this question over the last couple of days and I would refer you back to those comments.
CUOMO: Let's look at it a different way. Do you wish that the White House had corrected the error between where it started and where it wound up with sekulow in this letter sooner?
SANDERS: I wish that we spent a lot less time focused on things the American people don't care about. I wish we spent a lot less time talking about this witch hunt and that we talked about things that impact everyday Americans. I wish we spent a lot more time talking about the economy. I wish that your network had spent a lot more time today covering a very important piece of legislation that the president signed when he spent a good bit of time this afternoon talking about the importance of veterans choice act that he signed into law today. And your network didn't even take that. I wish those were the things that we spent time talking about.
CUOMO: We didn't take the whole -- look, we did take Kudlow's whole symposium, a lot of people did not. You have to make choices in this business.
SANDERS: And I understand if you guys didn't want to put the veterans as the choice that you made. And I think that's a sad decision.
CUoMO: You know that's not what it's --
SANDERS: I know that's important to you, and I think it's sad we don't spend more time on those topics. You and I have had that conversation both on camera and off-camera. And it's not different on camera than it is off with me. I think you know that. And that's why I think we should be talking about issues that people care about.
CUOMO: But credibility is something that people care about. The truth is what people care about. Nobody thinks, except for really, right now, the president and maybe you in this moment, that this is a witch hunt.
[Transition to Later Clip]
CUOMO: Bob Mueller is one of the most respected people in your party. He's a decorated veteran.
SANDERS: Because there is --
CUOMO: Everybody stood up and cheered when he got this job.
SANDERS: I'm glad you want to mention the veterans now, but didn't want to cover it when we were actually providing greater choice--
CUOMO: Have I ever taken you a cheap shot at you? Why would you say that we wouldn't support the veterans?
SANDERS: That's not what I said.
CUOMO: You were the one who didn't want to invite one of the biggest veterans groups who was in favor of the Choice Bill to the ceremony today, the IAVA, one of the largest population, just because they haven't been as affectionate (ph) to the Trump administration.
SANDERS: We wouldn't have known that they went there based on the coverage by CNN today.
CUOMO: No, but I'm saying, look, I think that we have a very strong case to make that we cover veterans issues as well or not better than anyone. I don't think we need a cheap shot. I ask you the questions. You answer them the way you want.
