'Facts are stubborn things': CNN host Jake Tapper grills Kellyanne Conway in 25-minute marathon interview
Tapper pressed Conway about the list of terror attacks the White House released Monday, claiming they were "undercovered," in addition to false claims Trump made about the murder rate being at its highest level in decades, and Conway's claim of a non-existent "Bowling Green massacre," which she had subsequently apologized for. The pair also discussed the legal case surrounding Trump's executive order temporarily barring travel from seven Muslim-majority nations.
On Trump's claims about the murder rate, Tapper said "facts are stubborn things," adding, "and to say that we're not reporting something that happens not to be true, therefore we're not to be trusted, that's a problem."
The exchange featured a number of surreal exchanges, such as when Tapper asked whether Conway considers CNN to be "fake news."
"I don't think CNN is fake news," she said. "I think there are some reports everywhere, in print, on TV, on radio, in conversation, that are not well researched and are sometimes based on falsehoods."
Pressed by Tapper about Trump's repeated falsehoods, with the CNN anchor asking if they distract from what Conway said were "the many things that he says that are true that are making a difference in people's lives," she said the falsehoods served as distractions "if they're covered."