Kellyanne Conway Claims She Doesn’t Know If or Why Ukraine Aid Was Withheld
The morning after Kellyanne Conway was portrayed on Saturday Night Live orchestrating a press conference for a dog, the real Kellyanne made the rounds on the Sunday morning news shows, and the results were no less comical. Visiting CNN’s State of the Union and Fox News Sunday, Conway played dumb when asked if withholding Ukraine aid was a quid pro quo for manufacturing dirt on the Bidens.
Fox News’s Chris Wallace confronted Conway with the incredibly suspicious timing of the aid’s release, saying, “The aid was held up all summer, and it was finally released September 11… Here’s the timing: Two days before, the inspector general informed the House Intelligence Committee about the whistleblower complaint. Kellyanne, the president didn’t release the aid until the story was out.”
CHRIS WALLACE: Aid was released 2 days after the IG informed the House about the whistleblower. It wasn't released until the story was out
KELLYANNE CONWAY: You're trying to make that causation. It may be coincidence
CW: You really think that's a coincidence?
KC: ¯_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/QKGLwBC7vK
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 3, 2019
“You’re trying to make that causation where it may be coincidence,” Conway responded.
“I find it an awfully interesting coincidence,” Wallace replied.
“They got their aid, and that’s what’s important,” Conway said.
Except, no, that’s not what’s important. What’s important here is whether the president violated the Constitution by withholding aid from a foreign government until that government delivered dirt on a political opponent.
Conway also took her rampant denials to CNN where Dana Bash pressed her on the same issue.
.@DanaBashCNN: "You feel confident there was no quid pro quo?"@KellyannePolls: "I feel confident that Ukraine has that aid and is using it right now…"
BASH: "Kellyanne, you very notably won't say yes or no."
CONWAY: "It doesn't —"
BASH: "Quid pro quo, yes or no?" pic.twitter.com/ov5F9dOljk
— CAP Action (@CAPAction) November 3, 2019
“So you feel totally confident that, at the core of this, the heart of this there was no quid pro quo?” Bash asked.
But Kellyanne evaded, saying, “I feel confident about the fact that Ukraine has that aid and is using it right now, that it’s because of this president that they have it.”
Bash replied, “Kellyanne, you very notably won’t say yes or no. Quid pro quo, yes or no?”
But, because nailing Conway down on any facts is a daunting task, she once again wiggled out of this very clear question by saying “I don’t know” and moving into her word salad tactic of deflection and blaming the Democrats: “First of all, I just said to you I don’t know whether aid was being held up and for how long. I know that there were two senators, a Democrat and a Republican, who called over from Ukraine and inquired about the aid. But we’re trying to impeach a president here now in this town, across this country. Why? Because nothing in this conversation so far resonates to the country, especially in the 17 swing states, that would lead to a high crime or misdemeanor,” Conway said, adding, “That’s why Nancy Pelosi has also said she’s not sure that we’ll get there. She promised us — six short months ago, Dana, she said impeachment would have to be overwhelmingly bipartisan.”
But lost in the midst of her obfuscation is the fact that Conway, one of the highest-ranking and longest-serving advisors in this administration claims to have no idea whether the president withheld aid from Ukraine. Frankly, it’s not very believable.