You can tell that President Donald Trump’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey is a big one because Kellyanne Conway has been forced to come off the bench and do some damage control.
Unfortunately for Trump’s, it looks like even Conway’s PR strategies aren’t improving the optics of Trump’s decision.
During an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Wednesday morning, Conway started out by defensively accusing her host of trying to “go viral” with his tough line of questioning. When that didn’t work, she argued that “the idea that you think that this was about Russia, and not about an FBI director who just yesterday forced his bureau to correct sworn testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee where he said Huma Abedin had this practice, she had forwarded, quote, ‘hundreds of thousands of emails'”
Cuomo scoffed at the notion that Trump was genuinely motivated by anger over Comey’s treatment of Abedin, prompting Conway to shoot back that “President Trump wants an FBI director who is impartial, who’s not politicized, and who has the confidence and the trust of people in the bureau, of Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, of the attorney general, of the deputy attorney general who oversees the FBI director, and of the president of the United States.”
.@ChrisCuomo to Kellyanne Conway: “You’re creating an image that does not reveal itself in fact.” https://t.co/8LzwLSoS1s
— CNN (@CNN) May 10, 2017
Conway was similarly defensive when she was interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night. After Cooper dismissed the notion that this was about the Clinton email investigation as “bogus” and “ridiculous” and asked Conway if she agrees that it looks odd for Trump to fire the person leading the investigation into his connections with Russia, Conway replied that “the president is not under investigation. I’m around the president, I’m not under investigation. I can name several people in that same situation.”
Conway later added that “this had nothing to do with Russia as much as somebody must be getting $50 every time the word is said, I’m convinced, on TV. This has nothing do with Russia. It has everything to do with whether the current FBI director has the president’s confidence and can faithfully and capably execute his duties.”
By contrast, Trump’s actual press secretary Sean Spicer was discovered to have literally hid in the bushes to avoid reporters asking inconvenient questions about Comey’s firing. He finally agreed to do so on the condition that he wouldn’t be filmed, then proceeded to claim that Comey’s termination was entirely the idea of Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.
Trump himself, meanwhile, has presented his own spin via his favorite medium — Twitter.
Cryin' Chuck Schumer stated recently, "I do not have confidence in him (James Comey) any longer." Then acts so indignant. #draintheswamp
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
The Democrats have said some of the worst things about James Comey, including the fact that he should be fired, but now they play so sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
Watching Senator Richard Blumenthal speak of Comey is a joke. "Richie" devised one of the greatest military frauds in U.S. history. For….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
years, as a pol in Connecticut, Blumenthal would talk of his great bravery and conquests in Vietnam – except he was never there. When….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
caught, he cried like a baby and begged for forgiveness…and now he is judge & jury. He should be the one who is investigated for his acts.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
The Roger Stone report on @CNN is false – Fake News. Have not spoken to Roger in a long time – had nothing to do with my decision.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
