We might not see George Conway invited back on CNN again anytime soon after he verbally slapped around one of their paid Trump apologists for continually lying on the air. I’ve got to say, the look of pain on Kasie Hunt’s face was hilarious as well.
During a panel discussion on this Friday’s CNN this Morning discussing Trump’s 34 felony counts and the reaction from Trump and his enablers in the Republican party, CNN regular and attorney was asked to weigh in, and after rightfully noting that Trump’s been a criminal for his entire life, that he’s not the victim here and has done all of this to himself, he took a shot at Republicans for being willing to nominate him despite what he’s done:
CONWAY: What party — where is that party? Here there — no one’s willing to hold — in the Republican Party is willing to hold Donald Trump to account for his crimes. Crimes that aren’t really even in dispute.
And no one — no one is willing to call him out. Instead, he’s — he’s going to get the nomination. That’s just insane, and it just shows the degree of moral rot we have on the conservative side of politics today.
Host Kasie Hunt asked CNN contributor Scott Jennings for a response, and this contentious back and forth between Conway and Jennings followed:
HUNT: Scott Jennings, I think this is for you. Where is that party?
JENNINGS: Well, I disagree with a number of things George said, of course. I mean, he’s talking about these crimes —
HUNT: Gee, I’m so surprised.
JENNINGS: — that were committed that — that — that — I mean, he’s talking about the obvious crimes that were supposedly committed, but that’s the core of what a lot of decidedly non-MAGA Republicans are mad about, is that there is no underlying crime.
I looked at the statement from Maine Senator Susan Collins, who I think encapsulated it perfectly. She said this was a partisan prosecutor who promised to get Trump.
CONWAY: Nonsense.
JENNINGS: And that’s what he did.
CONWAY: Absolute nonsense.
JENNINGS: Not promise to go after the law, but he promised —
CONWAY: Pathetic nonsense.
JENNINGS: — he promised to go after Donald Trump. And so the issue is here, what is the crime? He’s never been indicted for or convicted of the campaign finance theory at the core of this case.
And so Republicans are wondering today, you know, what — what do you have to do to build a defense against something you’ve never been convicted of in the first place.
I’ll tell you, the mood in the party, if you’re sort of looking for a generalized attitude, is reminds me a little bit about the Kavanaugh period.
You go back to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, 2018. I remember that period being — the MAGA people were mad, the non-MAGA, the anti- Trump, the pro-Trump. Every wing of the party was vibratingly angry about what was being done to Kavanaugh.
I feel and sense that the same thing is happening today, which is why I think you’re probably going to see this backfire politically on the Democrats, and they’re going to regret it.
Which was followed by Conway doing the one thing you’re never allowed to do on these political gab-fests. He straight up called Jennings a liar on the air, and asked why CNN was paying him to lie.
HUNT: I mean, George, I will say I have heard from some people who really don’t want to see Trump get elected in the Republican Party, who — our concern that this is just this particular case is just going to drive additional enthusiasm for the former president.
I’m interested in you respond to that. And you’ve got your face in your hands. What have you got to say to Scott?
CONWAY: I have to say — I mean, look — I mean, you know, Scott’s lying, and that’s the problem with the Republican Party. It is continually addicted to lies.
JENNINGS: Wait a minute. What are my lies?
CONWAY: Your lie — you’re lying. You’re lying, Scott. You’re lying about the law. You’re lying about what the jury was charged to find.
They don’t have to find it an underlying crime. They had to find the intent to cover up an underlying crime. And the underlying crime was pretty obvious.
JENNINGS: What was the crime?
CONWAY: You ran for public office, Scott. You — you ran for public office, Scott. You know, you can’t take money from somebody and reimburse them for — you know, if it’s a campaign.
JENNINGS: I’ve never run — I’ve never run for public office.
CONWAY: OK, fine. Well, you — you’re close enough. You’re involved in politics to know that. OK?
So that’s the problem with the Republican Party, is that they are suffused with lies. I don’t know why this network is paying Scott to come in and say those lies.
HUNT: Whoa, whoa. OK. Let’s — let’s go there, George, please. Let’s not go there.
JENNINGS: No, no, no. He should go there.
HUNT: Scott is — Scott is our colleague, and we’re going to treat him respectfully as such. Continue.
CONWAY: Well, you shouldn’t lie.
If they weren’t allowed to lie, these right-wing pundits and politicians would have absolutely nothing to say during their time on these shows. Jennings shot back that if it’s “an obvious crime, why did the Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission take a pass on it?” which was met with a halfway decent response from Conway and Frum, saying it should have been prosecuted and the FEC is toothless, which Jennings also knows.
Sadly they didn’t mention Bill Barr’s name as well. Jennings continued his rant, pretending this is going to be good for Trump in the election, which Frump shot down as well.
Here are some of the responses to Conway calling Jennings out on Xitter:
