LISTEN: Kellyanne Conway Attacks, Threatens to Investigate Reporter Who Wrote About Her Husband in Wild Call

Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, berated and threatened Washington Examiner journalist Caitlin Yilek in a heated phone call after the reporter mentioned about Conway’s husband in a story.

During the intense call, Conway claimed Yilek wasn’t a real journalist, mocked the reporter and called her names, and then threatened to investigate her personal life. The reporter recorded the call and published it at the Examiner, as the conversation was not deemed off the record.

“I just am wondering why in God’s earth you would need to mention anything about George Conway’s tweets in an article that talks about me as possibly being chief of staff,” complained Conway during a phone call with Yilek. “Other than it looks to me like there’s no original reporting here, you just read Twitter and other people’s stuff, which I guess is why you don’t pick up the phone when people call from the White House because if it’s not on Twitter or it’s not on cable TV, it’s not real.”

“I’m just wondering why you would have, A — why or what ever would give you the idea that I’m, quote, caught in the middle of some of these Twitter feeds and the president of the United States, B — who would be able to tell you that except for me?” Conway continued. “We’ve never talked, as far as I know.”

Yilek replied that she cited a Bloomberg article, and claimed “the reason I didn’t pick up the call was because it said it was from Egypt, and I called it right back. In terms of mentioning George Conway, it’s relevant context.”

“I know it’s just for clicks, but you’re going to have to give me, like, a journalistic reason here, especially if you admit that you just are repeating what another news source said and the president disputed that anyway. So, it’s sort of, like, doubly embarrassing. There’s no original reporting,” Conway declared. “If you’re going to call yourself a reporter, let’s see some reporting. There’s no original reporting, and then, it’s just lazy.”

“Respectfully, of course, it’s just lazy to talk about somebody’s Twitter feed. Do you talk about other people’s spouses in your pieces, ’cause I’ve been looking around, I haven’t learned a single thing from any of your pieces, and I’m just wondering if you routinely talk about people’s spouses,” the counselor to the president proclaimed. “Why is it relevant here? George’s position is what?”

During a back and forth, Conway continued to berate the reporter, making comments like, “You’re the, quote, breaking news reporter, is what it says here,” and “I’m just trying to understand what the breaking news was there.”

“So far, I don’t see breaking news, and so far, I don’t see reporter. So, I’m just trying to understand either one, let alone all three together,” Conway remarked. “Let me tell you something, from a powerful woman. Don’t pull the crap where you’re trying to undercut another woman based on who she’s married to. He gets his power through me, if you haven’t noticed. Not the other way around. And if these are the, quote, standards, unquote, at the Washington Examiner, then yes, I’d be happy to talk to your editor. But I’ve known your editor since before you were born. So, I can call your editor either way. I’m just trying to give you a chance to explain why you think what you wrote qualifies as breaking news or reporting.”

Yilek shot back, “I don’t know that I have to explain that to you… I’m just trying to do my job and what my editor tells me to do.”

Conway’s meltdown became progressively intense, culminating in the rant: “You don’t have to rely upon the men in your life and pretend somehow by way of reporting that I rely on the men in my life, which clearly isn’t the case. Do you think you could have written in there, first, only woman, first woman to run a successful presidential campaign. Do you think you could have described me as somebody who wears red a lot, or is a mother of four, who has been here from day one and has survived all these other people?”

Finally, Conway threatened, “So, listen, if you’re going to cover my personal life, if you’re going to cover my personal life, then we’re welcome to do the same around here. If it has nothing to do with my job, which it doesn’t, that’s obvious, then we’re either going to expect you to cover everybody’s personal life or we’re going to start covering them over here.”

You can read the full transcript and listen to the audio at the Washington Examiner.