CNN's Jake Tapper presses Kellyanne Conway on the White House's disdain for 'facts' and 'the truth'

(Image credit: Screenshot/CNN)

last updated 8 February 2017

CNN's Jake Tapper confronted President Trump's top aide Kellyanne Conway about the White House having "such little regard day in, day out, for facts [and] for truth" during an interview Tuesday afternoon on The Lead. After the White House's continuous attacks on the media for propagating "fake news" and failing to report terrorist attacks, Tapper wanted an answer on Trump's many false and unverifiable statements. "Are we fake news, Kellyanne? Is CNN fake news?" Tapper asked.

Conway insisted she did not think CNN "is fake news" — but didn't back off defending Trump's comments, even as Tapper dogged her with the facts. Tapper pressed Conway about why Trump has failed to publicly acknowledge the recent mosque attack in Quebec City, Canada, given the accusation he lobbed Monday at the media for ignoring terrorist attacks. "You want to talk about ignoring terrorism? Why hasn't the president offered his sympathy to our neighbors in the North?" Tapper asked. "He doesn't tweet about everything," Conway replied. "Put us on record as always being sad about the senseless loss of life."

Tapper then turned to Trump's incorrect claim during a White House event with local sheriffs Tuesday that the country's murder rate is "the highest it's been in 45-47 years." FBI statistics dating back to 1996 show crime rates have been steadily declining, but Conway insisted Trump was "relying on data, perhaps, for a particular area," though she said she did not where he may have obtained that data. "Facts are stubborn things," Tapper said. "And to say we're not reporting something that happens not to be true, therefore we're not to be trusted — that's a problem."