Anderson Cooper’s interview with ex-Trump adviser/ aide/ slight acquaintance Carter Page is almost like watching a video where a cat accidentally falls into a bathtub. It’s the odd and confusing follow-up to Chris Hayes’ chat with Page on Thursday, existing as this ouroboros of sorts where Page swallows his own tail only to regurgitate it and try it all over again.
If you were entering this interview attempting to understand Page’s relationship with Donald Trump, Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, or anybody in the Trump administration, you were sorely disappointed. Some of this can be attributed to the moving parts of Trump’s campaign from beginning to end according to CNN, but Page does himself no favors in this interview. Anderson Cooper is bewildered at times, pressing Page about his connections with Russia to the point that it seems like the CNN host is trying to convince himself that it’s all really happening.
Cooper keeps pouring on for close to a half hour and Page’s reactions throughout tell the story. He continues to try and bring up his strange letter to the Justice Department asking for an investigation into the Clinton campaign’s “hate crimes” and their attacks against him. This includes his claim that Clinton campaign targeted him because he is a “Catholic man.”
It’s safe to say that there is a lot to sift through within this interview and Page’s previous sit down with Chris Hayes. What is evident from the start is that Page is not handling these very well and the reactions are not landing in his favor:
Can't shake these Carter Page interviews. It's like I've witnessed a man decomposing before my eyes.
— Jeffrey Wright 🥜 (@jfreewright) March 4, 2017
https://twitter.com/rezaaslan/status/837840004902760449
Carter Page interview on @AC360 was possibly the most disastrous thing I've ever seen on TV. Trump's use of 4th-raters really paid off here.
— John Schindler (@20committee) March 4, 2017
Carter Page answering every question on #AC360 pic.twitter.com/pKe64kD32R
— bradley fields (@bradleyfields) March 4, 2017
This Carter Page interview is a train wreck in a nuclear power plant during a tornado
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 4, 2017
Page’s background and history is out there for folks to dig through. His attempts to explain himself on television don’t seem to be helping, but it’s clear he has some sort ties with Russia and previously had ties with Donald Trump’s campaign. Perhaps Page’s next television interview will clear all of that up and give us some concrete answers? Until then, watch Cooper’s full interview below:
(Via CNN)