Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, center, and her husband George Conway, right, greet guests on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington during a Halloween event welcoming children from the Washington area and children of military families to trick-or-treat, Monday, Oct. 30, 2017.
- White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and her husband, attorney George Conway, disclosed intimate details of their marriage in an interview with The Washington Post.
- Kellyanne, who once criticized Trump, is now one of his most ardent defenders.
- George, on the other hand, has not been shy about taking swings at the president.
- George says he now regrets having introduced his wife to Trump.
White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and her husband, attorney George Conway, disclosed intimate details of their marriage in an interview with The Washington Post.
On the surface, the two Conways appear to be at odds. Kellyanne, who worked on Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign during the 2016 US presidential election and who criticized Trump, is now one of Trump's most ardent defenders, frequently giving glowing endorsements of the presidency.
George, on the other hand, considered joining the Justice Department under the Trump administration but ultimately passed on the idea. George reportedly made the decision after Trump fired FBI director James Comey and the special counsel's investigation of Russia's interference in US elections gained traction. According to his friends, he did not want to be a part of a Justice Department that found itself targeted by the president.
Since then, George has been fueling a movement of disenfranchised Republicans and lit up Twitter with his criticism of Trump. In a now-deleted tweet, George described Trump's string of hirings and firings at the White House as "absurd;" and in another tweet, described Trump's statements as "false and misleading."
George suggested that if Trump and Kellyanne were ever to be forced out of office - a notion he reportedly had no qualms with - it would be the fault of the president.
"If there's an issue," George told The Post, "it's because she's in that job, for that man."
"If my wife were the counselor to the CEO of Pepsi and I had a problem with her boss, I would simply drink my Coke and keep my mouth shut," George reportedly said. "If the president were simply mediocre or even bad, I'd have nothing to say. This is much different."
"I'm just saddened by how things turned out," he added.
Matt Rourke/AP
In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017 file photo, President-elect Donald Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, center, accompanied by her husband, George, speaks with members of the media as they arrive for a dinner at Union Station in Washington, the day before Trump's inauguration.
Kellyanne said she found her husband's disparaging comments about Trump to be "disrespectful."
"I feel there's a part of him that thinks I chose Donald Trump over him," Kellyanne said to The Post. "Which is ridiculous. One is my work and one is my marriage."
"It is disrespectful, it's a violation of basic decency, certainly, if not marital vows," she said.
Kellyanne is proud of her own independence, according to the report - so much so that she did not hesitate to challenge her husband's influence.
"Nobody knows who I am because of my husband," Kellyanne said. "People know of my husband because of me."
George introduced Kellyanne to Trump shortly after the Conways married in 2001. The two moved into an apartment at the Trump World Tower where, during a condominium board meeting, George argued against removing the Trump name from the building. George's speech reportedly stood out to Trump, and he soon received an offer to join the board.
George passed on the offer and told his wife.
"Knowing what I know now," George said, "I would have said no, and never mentioned it when I got home."
For now, Trump has not publicly weighed in on George's criticisms. And despite some embarrassing media appearances by Conway in recent days, Trump has yet to indicate any dissatisfaction with Kellyanne.
But as multiple news reports have shown, even Trump's top advisers can attract his ire based on how they perform in TV interviews or, in other cases, based on their spouse's political affiliation.
Interesting analogy. Likewise, what if a CEO routinely made false and misleading statements about himself, the company, and results, and publicly attacked business partners, company "divisions" (w/ scare quotes!), employees, and analysts, and kowtowed to a dangerous competitor? https://t.co/dTjUk7kApQ
- George Conway (@gtconway3d) August 14, 2018