CNN host Jake Tapper on Sunday ended an interview with White House aide Stephen Miller after Miller dodged Tapper’s questions about the White House’s irate response to Michael Wolff’s book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.”
Miller on CNN’s “State of the Union” said former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who Wolff quoted criticizing Donald Trump Jr. for meeting with a Russian lawyer in June 2016, was “vindictive” and “out of touch with reality.”
Miller also called Bannon’s comments “grotesque” and defended President Donald Trump’s claim that he is a “genius.”
“Which happens to be a true statement,” Miller said.
“And I’m sure he’s watching and he’s happy that you said that,” Tapper replied.
“Jake, you can be — no, no. You can be condescending,” Miller shot back.
“I’m not being condescending. I’m trying to get to the point that Steve Bannon—” Tapper said, before Miller interrupted.
“That was a snide remark,” he said.
“Why is that snide?” Tapper remarked, as Miller continued to speak over him.
“You get 24 hours of negative anti-Trump hysterical coverage on this network,” Miller said.
“I think the viewers right now can ascertain who is being hysterical,” Tapper replied.
Miller ducked Tapper’s other questions about Trump’s recent tweets, Bannon’s influence on Trump’s presidency and policy and a New York Times report in September 2017 that Miller in May helped compose a list of reasons to fire James Comey as director of the FBI.
“I get it. There’s one viewer that you care about right now and you’re being obsequious, you’re being a factotum in order to please him, okay?” Tapper finally interjected. “And I think I’ve wasted enough of my viewers’ time.”
He then ended the interview as Miller continued to try to speak over him.
