CNN's Dana Bash calls out Kellyanne Conway over Trump's use of migrant children as 'political pawns'

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and CNN host Dana Bash had a lengthy exchange over the Trump administration's immigration policies on State of the Union Sunday.

They particularly focused on President Trump's tweeted response to the deaths of two migrant children in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody this month. While administration staff "have said that they have empathy for the deaths of children who are coming across the border with their parents," Bash noted, Trump himself has not. "The only thing he has said is something that is very political and, frankly, misleading, with regard to Democrats being culpable for the deaths of children."

Conway pushed back, arguing Trump's proposed changes in U.S. immigration policy and enforcement would prevent similar deaths in the future, and commenting that she doesn't "like some of the Democrats using these deaths as political pawns."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"But," Bash shot back, "isn't that exactly what the president just did?" Watch the full interview below. The "pawns" exchange occurs around the 3:30 mark. Bonnie Kristian