CNN anchor Poppy Harlow snapped at White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern on Monday after he accused the New York Times of coordinating a "political hit" with Democrats with their story about President Trump's tax returns, which was published on Sunday.
Harlow asked Morgenstern how Trump can be "America First" if he has paid more in taxes to other countries than to the United States.
"The documents The New York Times used they wouldn’t even show them to anybody so they could be verified or disputed. The president's attorneys' stated he's paid tens of millions of dollars in taxes. We know this. We know that he donates his salary to the government even when he doesn’t even have to," Morgenstern explained. "That’s a million and a half dollars in taxes he didn’t have to pay, but this is a story that is another version of it from four years ago on the eve of the debate, coordinated with the Democrats as a political hit."
"Okay. I’m just going to stop you there. These are remarkable reporters from The New York Times who went through 20 years of documents. It is not okay to accuse them with no facts of coordinating with the Democratic Party," Harlow interjected.
"Please stop doing that or this interview will end. Brian, stop attacking the press. I have not seen you do that largely before. Stop doing that. I am asking you direct questions. You can put the entire thing to bed if the president would release the records and show the American people what he says is true. Why will he not do that?" she continued.
"So, the press can attack him but he cannot defend himself? That is not a fair position," Morgenstern replied, adding how even the Times' story did not find any undisclosed financial ties to Russia.