https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_dv5qAsJMU
On Tuesday, a CNN report broke saying that intelligence officials had briefed Donald Trump on information they had received asserting that Russia had in their possession compromising information about the President Elect. Both from his business dealings and from his personal life. Of course now we know what some of that compromising information may be — namely Trump’s alleged enjoyment of golden showers and also possible treason — and there is a good chance that there is more information that Russia has yet to release or use to manipulate PEOTUS.
In a perfect coincidence of timing, Kellyanne Conway appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Tuesday night and the shocking information about her boss was released during the lead-up to filming. Seth asked her about the allegations, and her answers were (in Seth’s own words)…concerning.
Just in: @SethMeyers asks Kellyanne Conway about the bombshell allegations surrounding Trump and Russia. See her interview on #LNSM tonight. pic.twitter.com/5Fr4FdQQp5
— Late Night with Seth Meyers (@LateNightSeth) January 11, 2017
First, Conway tried to rebut the potential validity of the reports by saying that they have not been confirmed. Which is slightly true, but that’s also how spying generally works. The intelligence community finds something, and if it is important enough they brief the President. So if they found things that were high-level enough that PEOTUS was briefed at all, there’s probably at least something floating about that deserves attention from the public.
Then things devolved into Conway attempting to discredit the reports because a Russian intelligence source was probably involved — even though Donald Trump has been publicly in love with all things Russia for a year now — and then trying to deny the President was ever briefed, eventually getting caught in a flustered back and forth with Meyers. Seth definitely speaks for most people when he repeatedly asserts his concerned state of mind, and if this clip of Conway is any sign of things to come then her ability to answer for leaks and rumors needs to seriously improve. Fast.
Update: NBC has now posted the full interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_dv5qAsJMU