CNN’s Jake Tapper and White House aide Stephen Miller continued to take jabs at each other once they were off the air – and before the Trump staffer was removed from the room by security.
‘This is the reason they don’t put you on TV. OK? This is the reason,’ Tapper told Miller, according to a transcript given to CBS News.
Miller was Tapper’s guest on State of the Union Sunday for a segment that included the Trump aide going after CNN’s White House reportage, saying it was ‘negative, anti-Trump, hysterical coverage’ and Tapper slapping back, labeling Miller himself ‘hysterical’ and a ‘factotum,’ and cutting the interview short.
After the interview between Stephen Miller (left) and CNN’s Jake Tapper (right) concluded on Sunday, Tapper reportedly told Miller that, ‘This is the reason they don’t put you on TV,’ as Miller told the journalist he was ‘offended’
The White House is saying that aide Stephen Miller (pictured) was not escorted off Jake Tapper’s set, though several unnamed CNN sources say security was called on the Trump aide after the contentious back-and-forth
The president tweeted that he loved what he saw, telling supporters that the 32-year-old Miller ‘destroyed’ the CNN newsman. Trump also called Jake Tapper a ‘flunky!’
‘I think I’ve wasted enough of my viewers’ time,’ Tapper said, moving on to preview his next guest.
From there, things stayed heated, with Business Insider reporting that security had to usher Miller out, according to two CNN sources.
Another CNN source told CBS, ‘The segment was over and Mr. Miller was politely asked to leave the set multiple times – after refusing to leave, he was escorted out by security.’
The network has yet to release an official statement.
CNN’s Matt Dornic, a communications professional for the network, pointed this out on Twitter, asking CBS to correct its report.
When DailyMail.com asked the White House to verify the information, a spokesman pointed out this ‘correction.’
Later, on Air Force One, Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters that Miller wasn’t escorted off-set, but left on his own volition.
The transcript given to CBS has Miller huffing that he wasn’t given three minutes to ‘tell the truth about the president of the United States.’
‘You had plenty of time,’ Tapper responded. ‘I let you give like a three minute filibuster at the very very top.’
Miller didn’t buy it.
‘You gave me two minutes,’ he said.
At that point, Tapper seemingly tried to get Miller off the set by saying, ‘OK. Thanks for coming in.’
‘You should be ashamed of yourself. Honestly,’ Miller shot back.
Tapper talked back, pointing to Miller’s attitude being the reason the White House seldom puts the aide on TV.
Miller said he was supposed to be talking about the Camp David Summit and he charged Tapper with only wanting to talk about the ‘salacious.’
Tapper said he had plenty of questions ready to go on topics like immigration, but didn’t get to them because Miller had been repeating himself.
Miller was also angry Tapper referred to him as a ‘factotum’ – often used as a synonym for servant.
‘I had plenty of questions but you kept on repeating yourself and kept on not letting me ask my questions …. after you entire interview attacking CNN … OK, so don’t act so offended,’ Tapper said.
Miller had one more response before the tape cut off.
‘I’m not acting offended, I am offended,’ he said. ‘I’m offended by you and I’m offended by your network.’
CNN hasn’t responded to an inquiry from DailyMail.com about the authenticity of the transcript.
When Tapper returned from commercial break, Miller was gone and the journalist began the second part of his show by saying, ‘Welcome back to State of the Union and planet Earth.’
President Trump applauded the back-and-forth between 32-year-old Miller and Tapper as the aide had accomplished a two-part goal of tarring and feathering former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and CNN as well.
‘Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration,’ Trump wrote. ‘Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!’
The interview, however had began courteously enough, with Tapper wishing Miller a ‘happy new year.’
It went downhill from there.
Tapper asked Miller about allegations laid out in the new book, ‘Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,’ by Michael Wolff.
Bannon, Tapper reminded Miller, had criticized the Trump Tower meeting between Russians and campaign staff, saying, ‘The chance that Don Jr. didn’t walk these Jumos up to his father’s office on the 26th floor is zero.’
Tapper wanted to know if Miller had any first-hand knowledge of the now-president meeting with the Russians who visited in Manhattan office building in June 2016.
Miller took the cue to lash out at Bannon.
‘Steve Bannon’s eloquence in that description notwithstanding, it’s tragic and unfortunate that Steve would make these grotesque comments, so out of touch with reality and obviously so vindictive,’ Miller said.
‘And the whole White House staff is deeply disappointed in his comments, which were grotesque,’ he said, using the adjective again.
Bannon, Miller said, wasn’t even there.
‘It reads like an angry, vindictive person spouting off to a highly discredible author,’ Miller continued, pivoting to lash out at Wolff too.
‘The book is best understood as a work of very poorly written fiction,’ Miller added. ‘And I also will say that the author is a garbage author of a garbage book.’
Miller tried to counter Wolff’s portrayal of what Trump is like to what the aide personally encountered when traveling with the candidate and now president.
When Tapper tried to get him back on track to talk about the meeting, Miller replied, ‘I have no knowledge of anything to do with that meeting.’
From there, the conversation was more about CNN.
Miller charged that the cable news network was going ’24/7 with all the salacious coverage.’
‘And I know that it brings a lot of you guys a lot of joy to trying to stick the knife in,’ he said.
Tapper pushed back on that claim, noting how many people from the White House are quoted, on the record, in Wolff’s book.
The newsman also got into a tussle with Miller over who hired him, suggesting it was Bannon who helped bring the young aide on board.
Miller said the credit goes not to Bannon, but to Trump’s first campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. He also said Bannon had nothing to do with the writing of Trump’s controversial travel ban.
Throughout the interview, Miller repeatedly praised Trump’s political prowess, knocking the ‘so-called political geniuses in Washington’ who didn’t predict the populist Republican’s ascent.
‘The only person who has called himself a genius in the last week is the president,’ Tapper uttered.
Miller said that point was true, calling the president a, ‘A self-made billionaire who revolutionized reality TV and who has changed the course of our politics.’
‘I’m sure he’s watching, and he’s happy that you said that,’ Tapper shot back.
Miller called Tapper’s comment ‘condescending’ and said it was a ‘snide remark,’ broadening that point to the whole of CNN.
‘You get 24 hours of negative, anti-Trump, hysterical coverage on this network hat led in recent weeks to some spectacularly embarrassing false reporting from your network,’ Miller said.
Tapper countered by saying, ‘I think the viewers right now can ascertain who is being hysterical.’
The conversation further devolved as the CNN newsman tried asking the aide about Bannon’s role in the White House and also about a letter Miller helped draft that articulated reasons to fire FBI Director James Comey, a move Trump made in May.
When Tapper got to the president’s mental fitness, Miller turned it into a full-on slap of CNN, saying there was a ‘crisis of legitimacy’ and a ‘toxic environment’ at the network.
Miller also argued that the president’s Saturday tweets, in which he boasted about his ‘mental stability’ and IQ, were helpful in arguing the point that he had the fortitude to do the job.
‘The president’s tweets absolutely reaffirm the plainspoken truth: A self-made billionaire revolutionized reality TV and tapped into something magical that is happening in the hearts of this country,’ Miller said.
With that, Tapper scoffed.
‘The president has an approval rating in the 30s,’ the journalist said. ‘I don’t know what magical you’re talking about.’
The two squabbled for a minute more, before Tapper had had enough.
‘I get it,’ the veteran journo said. ‘There is one viewer that you care about right now. And you’re obsequious, you’re being a factotum, in order to please him.’
Tapper meant Trump.
Miller tried to protest, but Tapper quickly said, ‘Thank you Stephen.’ The camera panned away from the White House aide as Tapper started reading from the teleprompter, readying his audience the next segment.