Kellyanne Conway Takes Anderson Cooper To Task Over CNN Role In 35 Page Hoax Document

Kellyanne Conway went on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 Wednesday night, hours after CNN reporter Aaron Acosta decided to engage in a shouting match with President-elect Donald Trump at a press conference. Acosta was furious after being passed over for another journalist’s question, and when the reporter wouldn’t let it go, Trump branded CNN as “Terrible” and “Fake News” before moving on to other questions – a move which spooked investors in CNN’s parent company, Time Warner ($TWX).

Conway took Anderson Cooper to task over CNN’s decision as the only network to front-run Buzzfeed’s release of the now infamous 35 page private intelligence report containing obscene and unverified claims about Donald Trump and his purported activities in Russia. In an update and follow-up article, CNN revealed that they did in fact release their hoax-dossier story before Buzzfeed, and had reviewed the entire 35 page document before deciding it was newsworthy. As internet sleuths began debunking many of the ridiculous claims in the hoax dossier, and rumors emerged that much of the report was fabricated by members of the 4chan message board and passed to a GOP source, both CNN and Buzzfeed (which coincidentally helped seed the term “fake news” in early 2016 along with the Washington Post) have been under intense fire for their actions.

Hours later on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, Kellyanne Conway unleashed hell on the network:

While Conway was wrong on one point regarding whether or not CNN’s initial report linked directly to Buzzfeed or only spotlighted the hoax report, Anderson Cooper spent most of the interview backpedaling for CNN, trying to dodge Kellyanne’s questions on why CNN chose to front-run the Buzzfeed article. Cooper becomes flustered at several points in the segment, and Kellyanne is in fine form.

Highlights (video below):

Discussing the sequence of events and accountability:

Conway: CNN went first and Buzzfeed went second, and that with the imprimatur of CNN going first and posting this, and making this a huge centerpiece of TV coverage, that then it allowed a news outlet to go ahead and publish “the rest of the story,” and it’s fake news and a political witch hunt.

Cooper: If CNN reports something and people on twitter and shady organizations, or Buzzfeed, or reputable organizations start then reporting other things, you cannot hold CNN responsible for what other people are doing. They’re responsible for what they do, we stand by our reporting 100%

Conway: I can hold CNN accountable for having a screaming headline that he [Trump] was briefed on something that he wasn’t.

Kellyanne starts laying into Anderson at several points:

Conway: What did the president elect say when he was asked [about the two-page summary of the 35-page report”

Cooper: I don’t even know, you tell me?

Conway: Well, then you didn’t pay attention to the press conference. You’re relying on CNN unverified sources.

The conversation then shifts to the relationship between the press and the Trump administration going forward, in which Kellyanne makes some hilarious points about how the press treated President-elect Obama 8 years ago vs. Trump today. Anderson tries to deflect, but Kellyanne isn’t having any of it.

See the full interview here

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