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‘Morning Joe’ Bans Kellyanne Conway: CNN Sources Claim She Leaked Spicer Rumors

By JohnThomas Didymus
Published on: 10:26 PST, Feb 15, 2017

Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, has appeared frequently on major networks and cable news programs since the inception of the new administration. After CNN declined to book her for the network’s Sunday show State of the Union, due to “credibility” concerns, Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski announced Wednesday morning that Conway was banned from the show because she was “not credible anymore.”

The Morning Joe ban comes just as she told CNN’s Dylan Byers that she plans to “reduce [her] television exposure.”

It couldn’t be a coincidence that Conway is taking the decision to step back from the media spotlight even as a number of major networks and TV shows, including CNN and now MSNBC’s Morning Joe, are deciding against bringing her on the air, observers argue.

Brzezinski said she took the decision to ban the proponent of “alternative facts” from Morning Joe because something was always “askew or incorrect” whenever she appears on TV.

“At times in recent days, Kellyanne Conway has struggled to be on the same page, to say the least, as the rest of the staff in the White House,” Brzezinski said, according to NY Daily News. “We know for a fact that she tries to book herself on this show — I won’t do it. Because I don’t believe in fake news or information that is not true…”

“Every time I’ve ever seen her on television, something’s askew, off or incorrect.”

“Kellyanne Conway does not need to text our show, at least as long as I’m on it.”

Show co-host Joe Scarborough agreed with Brzezinski, saying that Conway was obviously “out of the loop” and was not being invited to key White House meetings.

“She’s not briefed,” Scarborough said. “She’s just saying things just to get in front of the TV set and prove her relevance, because behind the scenes, she’s not in these meetings.”

Conway has come under heavy criticism recently following major flubs during multiple TV appearances.

For instance, she plugged for Ivanka Trump’s clothing line in violation of federal laws that prohibit government officials from promoting the businesses of friends, relatives, and associates.

Hours before Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign, Conway appeared on TV, saying that Flynn still had Trump’s confidence.

She coined the term “alternative facts” while defending the Trump administration’s dispute with the media about the size of the crowd at President Trump’s inauguration.

She also recently cited a non-existent terrorist attack, the “Bowling Green massacre,” while struggling to justify the administration’s decision to ban travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.

During her last appearance on CNN, she had a heated exchange with host Jake Tapper who slammed her inconsistencies.

She also recently retweeted a white nationalist before deleting it.

When she was asked about the retweet, she denied responsibility, saying that someone must have gained unauthorized access to her Twitter account.

CNN’s Dylan Byers cited sources close to the administration that claimed Conway was the source of rumors alleging that Trump had lost confidence in the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

According to CNN, five separate sources told Byers that Conway leaked the false information that Trump was having second thoughts about Spicer since he (Spicer) was spoofed by comedian Melissa McCarthy on Saturday Night Live (SNL).

“Five… sources [close to the administration] think the person behind the [Spicer] leaks is Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s ever-visible White House counselor,” Byers reported. “Though they offer no hard evidence, they say Conway is trying to offload blame for the administration setbacks on Spicer to prove she is the more effective public advocate.”

“She’s clearly guiding a press narrative that [Spicer’s] not up for the job, and that they’re reviewing other candidates,” a GOP strategist said, according to CNN. “It’s becoming abundantly clear that Kellyanne is making Sean’s job impossible.”

But Conway denied allegations of spreading malicious rumors about her colleague, saying that Spicer is “doing a great job with impossible odds.” She also praised him for his “tenacity and focus that’s going to serve him well long term.”

“It’s absolutely false,” she said in response to a CNN inquiry. “Sean has my full support, but most importantly, he has the president’s full support. We work as a team.”

Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon also denied that Trump has lost confidence in Spicer. Priebus accused a “low-level staffer” of spreading false information while Bannon blamed the media.

The latest developments have unleashed speculation about Conway’s future in the Trump administration. Some Twitter users noted as ominous the fact that Trump’s Twitter account was not following Conway’s account, Salon reported.

She also recently removed the header image featuring her with Trump from her profile page, according to Gizmodo.

[Featured Image by Evan Vucci/AP Images]

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