White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway got into another heated, marathon exchange with CNN's Chris Cuomo Thursday night. For 20 minutes, the two squabbled over the Brett Kavanaugh-Christine Blasey Ford controversy. Ford has alleged that the Supreme Court nominee sexually assaulted her in high school, nearly four decades ago.
During their interview, Cuomo wondered why the Trump administration was not making "the best efforts" at accommodating Ford and encouraging her to testify? Conway said Kavanaugh has already been grilled for 30 hours by the Senate Judiciary Committee, to which Cuomo said, "not about this."
At one point, Conway accused Cuomo of "besmirching two good men," meaning Kavanaugh and Justice Clarence Thomas, who was also accused of sexual harassment by his former employee Anita Hill. She threatened to walk away from the interview.
CONWAY: “You just think you can talk over me, I’ll walk away. You guys begged me to come on and then you want to interrupt me.”
CUOMO: “As I’ve said many times, you’re always welcome to come on, but I have to stop you and check what you put out there.”
CONWAY: “No no no! I didn’t say ? nothing came out of my mouth yet. You’re just talking.”
CUOMO: “Lot of noise coming for nothing coming out of your mouth. I heard something.”
CONWAY: “I can leave. I can leave and we can watch him get confirmed next week. Are you ready for that?”
Ford and her lawyers sent a list of conditions to the committee Thursday regarding her testimony. They want the committee to subpoena Mark Judge, the other man who was reportedly in the room when the incident happened, they want Kavanaugh to testify first, and they don't want him in the room when Ford testifies. Conway returned to CNN Monday to discuss Ford's "laundry list of demands."
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White House counselor Kellyanne Conway calls Christine Blasey Ford’s accommodations in order to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee a “laundry list of demands”: “They don’t just sound like conditions, they sound like demands” pic.twitter.com/9nn5Bk0Eu0
— New Day (@NewDay) September 21, 2018
The terms "could work against her," Conway suggested. If Ford wants to tell her story, her "best shot" is to raise her right hand and tell her story. She should not let her lawyers embarrass the nominee.
Conway suggested that Democrats were using Ford for their own political purposes. For instance, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) admitted earlier this week that her party wants to keep the Supreme Court seat vacant until 2021.
Conway suggested her lawyers were using her too. They have "loved going on TV," she said. They are all a part of a "Democratic fundraiser."
The hearing is set for Monday.
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