- Kellyanne Conway dodged questions on President Donald Trump’s tweets in an interview with CNN on Sunday.
- “State of the Union” host Dana Bash also asked about Conway’s husband’s tweets, and things got tense.
Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway’s appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” turned tense Sunday while addressing the president’s tweets and possible legal peril – and her husband’s tweets, too.
The former Trump campaign manager dodged host Dana Bash’s questions on Trump’s tweets about potential legal implications stemming from an FBI raid on the president’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen’s office and hotel room.
“Can you assure the American people that the reason the president isn’t tweeting concern about Michael Cohen flipping because he is in potential legal jeopardy given whatever he knows that Michael Cohen has that the feds now have from that search?” Bash asked.
Conway responded that Trump thinks the investigation “is an overwrought process,” and added that former FBI Director Jim Comey assured the president “three times” that he wasn’t under investigation.
When Bash questioned her about Trump's Saturday tweet that described a "drunk/drugged-up loser" targeting Cohen, Conway pivoted to the opioid crisis.
"He just secured $6 billion of funding," Conway said, referring to a budget boost targeting the opioid crisis she's touted on CNN before.
Conway's husband's tweets
Kellyanne Conway's husband, George Conway, a lawyer at the New York City-based firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, & Katz, is a Republican through and through. Yet he frequently takes to Twitter to respond directly to Trump's tweets or to pick apart his policies.
When Bash questioned Conway her on husband's tweets criticizing Trump, she bristled.
"It's fascinating that CNN would go there, but very good for the whole world to have just witnessed that it is now fair game what people's - how people's spouses and significant others may differ with them. I'm really surprised and gratified to see that," Conway said in response.
"I would ask you that if you were a man," Bash replied, to which Kellyanne Conway simply said, "No you would not."
Conway accused Bash of asking the question "to harass and embarrass" her, and suggested people could ask about the political views of the spouses of CNN anchors. Bash shuffled the papers on the desk and attempted to defend herself.
"It is hard to have two adults in a situation like this," Bash said.
"I'm sorry, it's hard for whom?" Conway interrupted. "Back it up. It's hard for the two adults - my husband and me? Now you're talking about my marriage again?"
"You are a professional working for the president of the United States, and your husband is a very well-respected lawyer, and we don't often see - in fact I can't remember the last time we saw - somebody working for the president in a high-profile position when their spouse is saying critical things about them, that is all."
Watch parts of their exchange below: