by: Andy Braham

Humor Editor

Kellyanne Conway,  counselor to President Donald Trump, is under fire regarding multiple comments she has made in separate interviews in the last couple of weeks.  

In an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press, Conway was asked about comments made by White House press secretary Sean Spicer about the size of President Trump’s inaugural crowd. Sean Spicer incorrectly said “[Trump’s inauguration] was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.” In actuality, Trump’s inaugural crowd was smaller than both of Obama’s. Conway responded to Todd’s inquiry, saying “You’re saying it’s a falsehood. And they’re giving — Sean Spicer, our press secretary — gave alternative facts.” Todd responded, saying that “alternative facts” are not actually facts. Conway’s use of “alternative facts” has received much criticism.

On Chris Matthew’s MSNBC show, Hardball, Conway said in defense of the President’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries that “it’s brand-new information to people that President Obama had a six-month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized, and were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green Massacre. Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered.” No such massacre occurred. Many assume that she was referring to an incident in 2011 where two Iraqi immigrants were arrested in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on suspicion that they were financially supporting Al-Qaeda. This was not the first time that Conway mentioned the fabricated massacre. In interviews with both Cosmopolitan and TMZ, she defended the travel ban by bringing up the fictitious  event.

A few days later, Conway spoke on Jake Tapper’s CNN show, The Lead, about how she misspoke. “I felt really badly about that. I apologize and I rectified. I’m very happy to have raised awareness.” She continued saying that the media often doesn’t cover terrorist attacks for political reasons. The White House has said that it will soon compile a list of uncovered Muslim terrorist attacks.

Most recently, Conway is under fire for encouraging Americans to buy Ivanka Trump’s fashion line during a Fox and Friends interview. She said enthusiastically, “I’m … going give it a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody.” This was in response to Ivanka’s clothing line being removed by the retailer, Nordstrom. Trump tweeted about this decision saying, “My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!” Many have speculated if she violated ethics rules by plugging for Ivanka. The White House has not responded to that inquiry.
(Sources: CNN, The Guardian, USA Today, CNBC, TMZ)