'Stop being so jealous of Fox News': Kellyanne Conway clashes with CNN anchor in heated 20-minute interview

CNN

CNN anchor Brian Stelter and Kellyanne Conway.

• CNN's Brian Stelter grilled White House adviser Kellyanne Conway about the AT&T merger, Russia probe, and President Donald Trump's credibility.
• Conway criticized CNN's coverage of the administration.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway clashed with CNN's Brian Stelter in a contentious interview on Sunday about President Donald Trump's trustworthiness and credibility.

In a nearly 20-minute interview, Stelter solicited responses from Conway about the president's low credibility numbers, approval ratings, and Trump's reaction to the Department of Justice's independent Russia probe.

Instead, Conway repeatedly deflected his questions, criticizing Democrats and CNN's coverage of the administration.

"You're talking about CNN, instead of President Trump," Stelter said after Conway deflected questions about Trump's credibility by citing the strength of the stock market.

"I'm happy to talk about President Trump," she responded. "You interrupted me because of what CNN refuses to cover about President Trump."

Conway repeatedly mocked CNN's slogan "Facts First," and dismissed a question on whether Trump was attempting to stop the AT&T-Time Warner merger, calling Stelter's question "poison" for viewers, and saying she hadn't talked to Trump about the deal because it was "not important to what we're doing here."

She argued that CNN was writ-large opposed to Trump, and accused Stelter of being jealous of Fox News' ratings, a common tactic used by the president's backers to deflect from tough questions on CNN.

"I understand you don't want an adversarial media," Stelter said. "I guess you want everyone to be like Fox News."

"No, that's not true. I want an honest media," Conway said. "Stop being so jealous of Fox News, Brian, and their ratings. I think it would help a little bit if you dropped the jealousy."

Deflecting to the Clinton campaign

Conway repeatedly attempted to deflect to Hillary Clinton.

At multiple points, Conway cited former Democratic National Committee interim chair Donna Brazile's new book, in which Brazile admonished the Clinton campaign for numerous perceived missteps.

"I think viewers see what you're doing: pivoting. When I say Russia, you say Clinton," Stelter said. "It's part of the strategy, would you agree?

"Listen, I'd be happy to never talk about the 2016 election ever again," Conway said. "You want to know why? We won it."

Though once a ubiquitous presence across multiple news networks, Conway has recently taken to appearing for largely friendly interviews on Fox News programs like "Fox & Friends."

Hosts on some shows, including MSNBC's "Morning Joe", have refused to book her, citing her evasive interview style and occasional perpetuation of falsehoods.

Indeed, before Sunday's "Reliable Sources," a number of Democrats criticized the host on Twitter for booking Conway in the first place, a decision that Stelter defended because of her important status in the White House.

"I welcome everyone's feedback about the interview- good bad & in between," Stelter tweeted after the interview aired.

Watch clips via CNN: