Kellyanne Conway embarrasses CNN’s Jim Acosta during heated exchange: 'You're such a smarta--'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kellyanne Conway embarrassed CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta during a press gaggle on Tuesday, referring to him as a "smarta--" unliked by other reporters.
Acosta asked Conway if she could promise that President Trump would tell the truth when addressing the nation on Tuesday night.
"Yes, Jim," Conway shot back, "Can you promise that you will? The whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Am I allowed to mention 'God' to you?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Acosta – who has emerged as a household name for interruptions when Trump and members of his administration are made available to the press – responded by telling Conway that he doesn’t have an “alternative facts” problem like she does.
"Make sure that goes viral. This is why I’m one of the only people around here who gives you the time of day," Conway said. "You’re such a smarta-- most of the time and I know you want this to go viral."
Conway then told Acosta that “a lot of these people” don’t like him, while pointing to his peers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Don't you put it back in my face for all corrections your network needs to issue,” she continued, mocking CNN. “I was on your network 25 or 26 times in 2018. I’m one of the last people here who even bothered to go on, and the disrespect you show to me personally, I’ll look past it.”
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Acosta replied, “Ma’am.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Don't call me ma'am,” Conway responded.
Last year Acosta was briefly banned from the White House after he engaged in a contentious back-and-forth with Trump during a Nov. 7 press conference. During the now-infamous moment, Acosta refused to pass the microphone to a female White House aide.
Acosta’s press pass was restored on Nov. 19 after CNN argued that keeping him out of the White House violated the network and Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights.
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To coincide with Acosta being allowed to return to the White House, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders implemented a series of rules to govern White House press conferences going forward.
The CNN reporter has been praised by liberal comedians such as Jimmy Kimmel, and even appeared in the most recent season of the Netflix political drama “House of Cards.”