Kellyanne Conway Insists Media Covering Russia Is 'Not a Big Story'

Kellyanne Conway appeared on CNN Sunday, declaring the Russian investigation is, "not a big story."

This is a photo of Kellyanne.
Getty

Image via Getty/Chip Somodevilla

This is a photo of Kellyanne.

Dogged by increasingly suspicious ties to Russian figures, affiliates of Donald Trump are trying to dismiss the seriousness of the investigation.

Appearing on CNN's Reliable Sources, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway downplayed the importance of the special investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, insisting to Brian Stelter it is, "not a big story."

"You look at his job through the lens of Russia," said Conway. "I look at his job through the lens of America."

Though Conway claims to be concerned with the job Trump is doing in America, the American public doesn't appear too impressed with the job he's doing there. A recent poll by Gallup found Trump is the first U.S. President in recorded history to fail to reach 50 percent approval during his first six months in office, and his current approval rating sits at a ghastly 39 percent.

Even if the focus of polling is narrowed to America's view of the Russian issue, the numbers still aren't favorable for Trump and his associates. 58 percent of respondents to a recent Public Policy Polling survey say they support an independent investigation into Russia's contact with the 2016 Trump campaign, and a plurality of those polled (48 percent) believe the Trump campaign worked with Russia to help win the election for Trump.

In the same poll, 72 percent of respondents who self-identified as Trump voters declared the Russian story "fake news."

True to form, the Trump administration has also punched back against polling numbers, sticking with the tried-and-true "other people have low ratings too" defense. Conway took to Twitter following the appearance on Reliable Sources, and disparaged the media's focus on the Russian investigation while comparing their approval ratings to Trump's.

.@POTUS approval higher than media's & Congress'. Media:cover what's real (job/stock market, health care gaps), not what u hope is (Russia) https://t.co/fRxGZTGZcQ

Unfortunately for Conway—and Trump—the press at large is not determined by the electoral college.

Conway also addressed former Press Secretary Sean Spicer's resignation. She revealed that President Trump invited him to stay on.

"He was trying to add to the team, not subtract," she added. "But Sean made a different decision."

You can watch the full video here.

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