Appearing on MSNBC Wednesday morning, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway hammered the liberal cable channel for its blatant biased coverage of the Mueller investigation over the past two years and called out journalists who repeatedly declared Trump guilty of Russian collusion despite the Special Counsel’s report concluding the opposite.
Fill-in anchor Kristen Welker began the segment by pressing Conway to react to congressional hearings being led by Democrats trying to keep the Russia investigation in the news. The presidential counselor responded by reminding Welker how the press initially dealt with their disappointment over Mueller’s findings:
I would point you back to when the Mueller Report first came out, Kristen. Journalists like you were asking us, “Well, when will you move on? How long will you keep on sort of preening and saying there’s nothing in the Mueller Report other than what we’ve already known?” And yet, it’s them who are – in Congress – who are trying to do a do-over of a report that is the authoritative, definitive, conclusive and final word on what was investigated.
“So, I know America is going to see this for what it is, which is an attempted do-over of something that they’ve already funded and that we patiently waited for and complied with completely,” Conway added.
Welker bristled at the remarks and rushed to defend the partisan stunt by Democrats: “Kellyanne, let me just ask you about that word ‘do-over’...but as you know, Democrats on Capitol Hill say they have an oversight responsibility. Mueller himself, in his report, cited Congress as the authority that would follow up on his report, essentially...”
The reporter then bizarrely argued that the best way for the White House to “move on” from the investigation was to allow themselves to become mired in it: “So I guess the question is, look, if there’s nothing to hide, why not cooperate? Why not direct Barr and McGahn to cooperate and turn over all of the documents if you really want to move on?”
Conway immediately fact-checked the assertion that Mueller “essentially” ordered Congress to take action against the President: “I want your viewers to recognize the facts there....I have to slightly disagree with the characterization that Director Mueller just explicitly directed Congress to take it up.”
Welker interrupted and insisted: “He cites Congress in his report, though, Kellyanne....I know you read the report, he cites Congress.”
Conway shut the host down: “I read the report. He cites many things in his report, including that there was no collusion, despite the fact that your network said it many times every single day for many years, respectfully.” She then turned the tables on Welker and asked: “And you’re yet to point out to me, as is anyone else, what would be new in these investigations? What would be new in this testimony other than what we’ve already seen in the actual Mueller Report?”
Moments later, Welker laughably claimed: “And just to be clear, no one here ever came to any determination about what may or may not have been in the Mueller Report, until it came out.” Conway pushed back: “I think some of your talking heads have, yes.”
It hasn’t just been talking heads, several MSNBC anchors have repeatedly suggested that Trump was guilty of Russian collusion or obstruction of justice over the past two years, long prior to the public release of the Mueller Report:
Scarborough: Only ‘Very, Very Stupid’ People Think Obstruction Charges Not Imminent
Scarborough Compares Trump White House To 'Al Qaeda After 9/11'
MSNBC Repeatedly Alleges Trump is Being Blackmailed by Russia
MSNBC Conspiracy Theorist Maddow Fears Trump Is Really a ‘Foreign Agent’
Chris Matthews Pretends Trump Still Can't Deny Being A Russian Agent
MSNBC's Heilemann on Trump 'Russian Agent' Denial: Maybe Lying Like Clinton, Nixon
Perhaps Welker should watch her own colleagues before denying the obvious unfair coverage that they routinely provide.
Here is a transcript of the June 12 exchange:
10:02 AM ET
KRISTEN WELKER: And joining me now is Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump. Kellyanne, thanks so much for joining the program, really appreciate it.
KELLYANNE CONWAY: Thank you, Kristen. Good morning.
WELKER: Good morning to you. I want to start off right where Kelly O’Donnell left off, the developments on Capitol Hill. She is watching the House Oversight Committee, that contempt vote that we are expecting, comes on the heels of the House Judiciary Committee holding Barr, as well as former White House Counsel Don McGahn, essentially censuring them yesterday. What’s your reaction to what you are witnessing on Capitol Hill right now?
CONWAY: I would point you back to when the Mueller Report first came out, Kristen. Journalists like you were asking us, “Well, when will you move on? How long will you keep on sort of preening and saying there’s nothing in the Mueller Report other than what we’ve already known?” And yet, it’s them who are – in Congress – who are trying to do a do-over of a report that is the authoritative, definitive, conclusive and final word on what was investigated.
It was meant to be investigating collusion by a foreign government in a campaign that I ran to a successful end. And we already, as a nation, have spent 22 months and tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money. People like – people like Don McGahn have already complied, gave hours and hours, dozens of hours of testimony before, Don Jr. has testified previously. So, I know America is going to see this for what it is, which is an attempted do-over of something that they’ve already funded and that we patiently waited for and complied with completely.
WELKER: Kellyanne, let me just ask you about that word “do-over” because you’re referring to it as a do-over, but as you know, Democrats on Capitol Hill say they have an oversight responsibility. Mueller himself, in his report, cited Congress as the authority that would follow up on his report, essentially, Kellyanne. So I guess the question is, look, if there’s nothing to hide, why not cooperate? Why not direct Barr and McGahn to cooperate and turn over all of the documents if you really want to move on?
CONWAY: As you know, many of those documents are privileged. And I want your viewers to recognize the facts there. That many of these documents are privileged. So, they will not be turned over willy-nilly. The other thing is, I have to slightly disagree with the characterization that Director Mueller just explicitly directed Congress to take it up. He also, remember that –
WELKER: He cites Congress in his report, though, Kellyanne.
CONWAY: For sure, of course –
WELKER: I know you read the report, he cites Congress.
CONWAY: I read the report. He cites many things in his report, including that there was no collusion, despite the fact that your network said it many times every single day for many years, respectfully.
One thing in the report that’s important to note is the job of a – the job of the special counsel is to refer an indictment or decline a referral on indictment. That is it. Words like “exoneration,” extraneously phraseology, really is not an appropriate responsibility. And when you said that the Congress has an oversight responsibility, oversight is different from overreach. And you’re yet to point out to me, as is anyone else, what would be new in these investigations? What would be new in this testimony other than what we’ve already seen in the actual Mueller Report?
People were worried for very many months, “You’re going to fire Mueller and we need to protect Mueller, the President’s interfering.” Actually, the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General made clear in their memo that no one at the Justice Department felt like we had interfered with the investigation at all. So they were able to have the latitude, the money, everything they needed.
WELKER: And just to be clear, no one here ever came to any determination about what may or may not have been in the Mueller Report, until it came out.
CONWAY: I think some of your talking heads have, yes.
(...)
