CNN anchor: 'I would be picking up garbage somewhere' if I made Trump's factually inaccurate claims

pulse

March 22, 2017 2:51 PM

CNN's Chris Cuomo confronted a former adviser to Donald Trump over why Trump stood by his unproven claim that President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower.

Chris Cuomo on "New Day."

CNN's Chris Cuomo on Wednesday confronted a former top adviser to President Donald Trump over why the president continued to stand by his unproven claim that President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower before the election.

In an interview, the "New Day" anchor pressed Anthony Scaramucci over what Cuomo called Trump's "credibility issue," asking the former financial adviser why Trump continued to raise "bogus scenarios that are distracting from his own agenda."

"It doesn't hold up to scrutiny, Anthony," Cuomo said of the wiretap allegations. "If I ever got anything wrong, close to what he gets wrong on a regular basis, I'd be picking up garbage somewhere."

Scaramucci dismissed Cuomo's criticism, implying that the CNN anchor did not support Trump politically.

"Sounds like you didn't vote for him, but that's fine," Scaramucci said.

"You don't know who I voted for, Scaramucci," Cuomo replied. "Don't make it personal — make your point."

Pressed by Cuomo about the lack of evidence to support Trump's claim, the former adviser advised Cuomo and other journalists to slow down until evidence emerged.

"I'm staying with the facts — let's let it have a little more time," Scaramucci said.

The aggressive early-morning interview has emerged as a staple of "New Day" in recent months.

Cuomo's influence in political media seems to have grown over the past year, as he has attempted to cast himself as a news-focused alternative to other morning shows.

As interest in the new administration boosted television ratings, newspaper subscriptions, and online traffic, Cuomo and his "New Day" cohost Alisyn Camerota saw their audience grow. As Variety noted earlier this month, the show's ratings are up nearly 70%, while ad revenue rose 67% over the previous year’s.

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