Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney went on Fox News on Sunday to attempt to explain statements he made this week involving President Donald Trump and Ukraine. It didn’t go well.
Here’s the backstory: Mulvaney made a stunning admission on Thursday that yes, the Trump administration withheld aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into a debunked conspiracy theory about Democrats and election hacking in 2016. It was, as he affirmed, a quid pro quo. Hours later, Mulvaney issued a statement walking those comments back. Both Democrats and Republicans criticized the statements.
Mulvaney went on Fox News Sunday to do a little more damage control. Host Chris Wallace didn’t waste any time asking Mulvaney directly about the remarks.
“Why did you say, in that briefing, that President Trump had ordered a quid pro quo that aid to Ukraine depended on investigating the Democrats?” Wallace asked.
“Again, that’s not what I said,” Mulvaney replied. He went on to say that the United States held up the aid due to “rampant corruption” in Ukraine and concerns about European nations failing to help with foreign aid.
Wallace didn’t let up. He played the footage from Thursday’s briefing. Watch the exchange below:
EXCLUSIVE Interview: Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney joined us live to respond to his remarks on U.S. aid to Ukraine. #FNS #FoxNews pic.twitter.com/MeGhGXeCqK
— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) October 20, 2019
Mulvaney also addressed Trump’s announcement on Twitter late Saturday that the G7 summit would not be held at the president’s Doral resort in Florida. In an effort to seemingly smooth over concerns about a conflict of interest on the president’s part, Mulvaney made matters worse for Trump by saying, “At the end of the day [the president] still considers himself to be in the hospitality business.”
Only on FOX News Sunday: Mick Mulvaney reacts to the president's decision to scrap the G7 summit at his Doral resort: "At the end of the day he (the President) still considers himself to be in the hospitality business." Exclusively on FOX News Sunday. Check your local listings. pic.twitter.com/vYfJCwPtJK
— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) October 20, 2019
