Donald Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Monday morning insisted that Trump did not lie when he said last week that NBC’s Lester Holt is a Democrat because the Republican nominee did not know that Holt is actually registered as a Republican.
I don’t know that he knew what Lester Holt’s voter registration was,” Conway said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” when asked about Trump’s claim.
She said that Trump’s comment about Holt is an “irrelevant example” of Trump’s comments.
As she was pressed to answer for Trump’s claim, Conway pivoted and said that it was “irresponsible” of Hillary Clinton’s campaign to push for the media to fact check Trump.
MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski then jumped in to ask Conway again “why he lied about Lester Holt.”
“He didn’t lie,” Conway responded.
“I think he did,” Brzezinski hit back.
Conway then said that “a lie would mean that he knew the man’s party registration.”
So your defense is that he wasn’t lying, he was just spouting off without bothering to check his facts? Okay…
I look forward to seeing this strategy in the spinroom.
This coupled with what she said about the campaign embeds “slandering” HO (BY TWEETING HIS WORDS) I’ve really just lost all ability to even. Wake me up when it’s over.
I’m sure that Conway is technically correct–Trump wouldn’t have known of Holt’s registration. However, it is just as reprehensible that he would state as a fact something that he had absolutely know knowledge of. Trump does this all the time–he makes stuff up without any concern as to whether it’s true or not.
The dishonesty of the guy is comprised by his willingness to say things he knows to be untrue as well as his willingness to say things that he doesn’t know anything about.
Trump playbook:
1: Lie
2: If caught lie more and louder
3: Have surrogates lie to cover your lie
4: Accuse the ‘media’ of lying because they pointed out your lie
5: Have dinner with Roger Ailes