White House counsel Kellyanne Conway denied a CNN report that she was “sidelined” from speaking on behalf of President Trump on television during an appearance on Fox News late Wednesday.
“No, I’m not. Somebody’s trying to start trouble,” Conway told Fox News host Sean Hannity during a pre-taped interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md.
“About 5 percent of what I’m asked to do in this White House counselor role is TV. I think that’s about right because he’s the president now and he’s his own best messenger.”
Conway pointed to Trump’s recent rally in Orlando and a 77-minute press conference last Thursday, which was received by some media outlets as more contentious than previous presidents’ briefings.
Conway also defended her occasional absence from the press as the result of being busy with her responsibilities as a mother. For example, over the past few days Conway has been absent from the TV circuit after saying last week that former national security adviser Mike Flynn had the “full confidence” of Trump despite the adviser’s being terminated later that week.
“I don’t think I have to explain myself if I’m not going to go on TV if I’m out with four kids looking at – for three days – looking at houses and schools. A lot of my colleagues aren’t trying to figure out how to be a mother of four kids, I assure you,” Conway added.
She also said her steady TV presence may have blocked other personalities from getting their time with the media, prompting them to go after her.
“There are some people, I think, trying to get in my way. I’ve also gobbled up a lot of people’s TV opportunities,” Conway said.
