Trump Campaign, Mercedes Schlapp Reportedly Apologizing in Private For Smearing CNN Host Brianna Keilar and Husband
The Trump campaign and former White House Strategic Communications Director Mercedes Schlapp reportedly apologized in private for smearing CNN host Brianna Keilar and her husband this week.
After Schlapp ripped Keilar and her Green Beret husband Fernando Lujan in an article for RealClearPolitics on Thursday — where she appeared to mistake a different Twitter account with the same name as Keilar’s husband for his own, and accused him of attacking the president — Keilar shot back with a statement on Twitter, accusing the article of being “riddled with lies,” and telling Schlapp, “don’t mess with my family.”
In response to @mercedesschlapp’s @RealClearNews op-ed. Get your facts straight. And don’t mess with my family. pic.twitter.com/pMgIyfSEv0
— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) August 6, 2020
RealClearPolitics corrected the article, adding the update, “An earlier version of this essay asserted that Brianna Keilar’s husband is a ‘ferocious opponent of the president.’ That reference has been removed,” while Schlapp reportedly apologized in private for the mistake.
“Just received a call from Mercedes Schlapp, apologizing for the bad info,” declared Lujan on Twitter, Friday. “Good to see that there’s still room for decency, even in this hyper-polarized political environment.”
Just received a call from Mercedes Schlapp, apologizing for the bad info. Good to see that there’s still room for decency, even in this hyper-polarized political environment.
— Fernando Lujan (@fernandomlujan) August 7, 2020
According to CNN’s Brian Stelter, who cited an unnamed source, “the highest levels of the Trump campaign” also “conveyed apologies to the highest levels of CNN” over the error on Thursday.
