MATT SCHLAPP (CHAIRMAN, AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION): Kelly [Sadler] is my friend and I feel bad that she's going through this. She showed character to immediately call to apologize. But she's also a little bit of a victim here. I don't blame anybody like you, Chris, for running with leaks out of the White House. It's your job. You're trying to give transparency to the voters and to Americans. The problem is none of us were in that room, and the people who leaked what she said are clearly people who have an animus against her, and that's the problem in this White House, is that, when people have animus, they go public, and they've got to solve that problem. 

We don't know what Kelly meant by that term. The fact is is this, which is it was about the president's nominee to head the CIA, and it is true that when you're counting heads in the Senate, and people are doing it all over this town on all types of issues, you're trying to figure out who is going to be there on a given day, and it's a perfectly logical thing to say, hey, will there be a McCain replacement? Will there be a McCain? Will he not be able to come to Washington? She could have meant it very matter of factly. She could have meant it in a different way.

CHRIS CUOMO (HOST): So she should come out and explain that. 

Related:

NY Times: White House Refuses to Apologize for Kelly Sadler’s Joke About McCain

Previously:

Fox guest calls John McCain's vote to save health care “one of the worst acts of political cowardice”

On Fox, Matt Schlapp defends hosting Marion Le Pen on a CPAC panel

Matt Schlapp defends Trump's “shithole” remarks: “I don't know anybody who spent two weeks on the beach in Haiti”

Matt Schlapp: “Journalists shouldn't be the one to say that the president or that his spokesperson is lying”