On With All Due Respect, John Heilemann was aggressively questioning Kellayanne Conway, arguing that conflicts of interests would arise when the Trump administration makes decisions that could affect Trump business interests at home or abroad.

Conway eventually had enough. She shot back: “look, John, I know the election results are very tough to swallow, particularly for those of you who just couldn’t see it coming, couldn’t even conceive of the possibility that the other candidate may actually win, that you don’t understand America.” Ouch.

Heilemann insisted that his questions had “nothing to do with me or my views,” but Conway wasn’t buying, suggesting that some in the media “are still in campaign mode and have political PTSD.”

JOHN HEILEMANN: The question about policy doesn’t go to the broad question of job creation, it goes to the questions of what rulings that the EEOC would make, that the National Labor Relations Board would make, that are all going to have Trump appointees, all listening to Mr. Trump, where specific hotels, specific business interests of his would be affected by regulatory rulings, by legal rulings. Foreign policy with respect to specific countries, like a particular country in South America or in Asia. All of those decisions — he has not laid out his policy in advance on those questions. And as he makes decisions on them now, if they have a financial impact on his family company, they will be called into question if he makes decisions that seem to benefit his businesses. KELLYANNE CONWAY: It sounds like they will be called into question even if he hasn’t done that. Cause you’re calling them into question. Look, John, I know the election results are very tough to swallow, particularly for those of you who just couldn’t see it coming, couldn’t even conceive of the possibility that the other candidate may actually win, that you don’t understand America. This man understands America, animated America, and now will represent all Americans. But this whole line of argument is presumptively negative and presumptively accusatory. You are presuming things — HEILEMANN: With all due respect, Kellyanne, this has nothing to do with me or my views. I’m reading to you from a Wall Street Journal editorial, a big champion of capitalism. The Wall Street Journal editorial board. They really did—you should read the editorial, that’s exactly the argument — CONWAY: I read it. Hours ago. HEILEMANN: — they are making for liquidating his assets. This has nothing to do with the election results. This has everything to do with standards. CONWAY: No, you’re presuming — well, a lot of this does. Because I think some people are still in campaign mode and have political PTSD I guess.



