'Those are the facts': CNN responds to Kellyanne Conway after she claims she wasn't turned down by the network
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
CNN corrected a top adviser to President Donald Trump on Monday after she claimed she could not appear on the Sunday "State of The Union" program for family reasons.
The New York Times reported that the Sunday show passed up the opportunity to book Conway because Vice President Mike Pence appeared on every other major Sunday-morning show except CNN, as well as concerns about Conway's overall credibility.
Conway denied the report in a tweet on Monday, claiming that she was unavailable for the interview on Sunday and was invited on CNN on Monday and Tuesday.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/828643510878347264
False. I could do no live Sunday shows this week BC of family. Plus, I was invited onto CNN today & tomorrow. CNN Brass on those emails https://t.co/LVOUWIytLK
CNN weighed in, saying the Trump administration offered Conway for an appearance but that "State of the Union" passed.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/828651669294612480
. @KellyannePolls was offered to SOTU on Sunday by the White House. We passed. Those are the facts.
CNN's decision to decline a Conway interview comes as some journalists and media commentators have suggested that networks should not book Conway, arguing that she tells falsehoods so frequently that networks cannot rely on her to share accurate information about the administration.
Conway made headlines last week when she repeatedly cited a nonexistent massacre in Bowling Green, Kentucky, to justify Trump's travel ban, which temporarily bars individuals from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the US.
CNN apparently wasn't the only network to pass on a potential Conway interview.
MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski appeared to suggest in a tweet that other programs passed over Conway for potential interviews.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/828653427391594498
.@CNNPR @KellyannePolls you are not the first.