Stelter: When Trump ‘Calls Real News Outlets Fake, He Poisons Our Public Discourse’

EXCERPT:

STELTER: When you look at this president’s rhetoric, his demagogic behavior when it comes to the media — 

CONWAY: His rhetoric is scandal? 

STELTER: Yes, it actually. But the more important scandals — 

CONWAY: It is? His rhetoric is a scandal?

STELTER: — or what happened before — you don’t think that his words against the media are poisoned, Kellyanne, actually hurting the country on a daily basis?

CONWAY: Wait, his rhetoric is a scandal? STELTER: When he calls real news outlets fake, when he calls real news outlets fake news, he poisons our public discourse. 

CONWAY: Hey, Brian — 

STELTER: It makes it harder for us to communicate as a country. 

CONWAY: So, I’ve never used those words. 

STELTER: Makes it harder for us to trust each other. 

(CROSSTALK) 

CONWAY: I’ve never used those words.

STELTER: And I wonder why that is. 

CONWAY: But hold on, but it doesn’t stop, it doesn’t stop people at CNN on personally attacking each of us and running these ridiculous palace intrigue stories basically since the day we’ve been there where the only people that got fired so far — 

STELTER: There shouldn’t be personal attacks. But there is a lot of palace intrigue, Kellyanne. 

CONWAY: The only people who got fired so far, the only people who got fired so far don’t work in the West Wing in his inner circle. They worked at CNN. Three of your colleagues got fired here because they rushed to judgment to our new communications director — 

(CROSSTALK)

STELTER: So, you’re complimenting CNN —

CONWAY: — Anthony Scaramucci. 

STELTER: — you’re complimenting CNN for taking action — 

CONWAY: No, I’m — 

STELTER: — and holding journalists accountable for not following editorial practices. 

CONWAY: No, I don’t think you had a choice. I don’t think you had a choice here. You’re under threat of lawsuits.

STELTER: Why hasn’t the White House held aides accountable for false statements? 

CONWAY: Brian, that is ridiculous. Are you telling me the fact that three of your colleagues were forced to resign or got fired here because they were slandering my new White House colleague Anthony Scaramucci, was gracious and humble enough to say, I’m glad they retracted the story, I accept their apology because he’s got class and grace? Are you telling me that that was — that reflects well on CNN that you’re going to go out with thinly or not sourced (ph) stories, that end up being complete slanderous, hit jobs on a good man? 

I mean, that — this is a two-way street. But, look, you’re looking at everything through the lens of the media. 

STELTER: Kellyanne, you’ve been an anonymous source.