CNN Political Commentator: Scrutiny Of Trump's Star Of David Tweet Is A “Contrived Controversy”

Kayleigh McEnany: Police Departments And Frozen Memorabilia “Use This Same Star”

From the July 7 edition of CNN's New Day:

Video file

CHRIS CUOMO (HOST): The star comment gave you the sour face when Margaret [Hoover] said it. Why? 

KAYLEIGH MCENANY: Because I think it was a contrived controversy. Look, you look at police departments who use this same star. The Chicago Police Department, for instance, has the same star without the points. You look at the Frozen ad that you showed just a few moments ago, has the same star. This is a contrived --

CUOMO: Do you know where the graphic came of Hillary Clinton?

MCENANY: Of Hillary Clinton?  

CUOMO: Yeah.

MCENANY: I know where it came from.

CUOMO: That graphic was made for a very specific purpose on a message board by a specific type of voice. We know that, right?

MCENANY: We don't know that that's where his -- 

MARGARET HOOVER: Anti-Semitic corner of the internet where they originate. 

MCENANY: We don't know that that's where his social media director got it. Images percolate around the internet where they originate.

CUOMO: It just came up on the same exact day?

MCENANY: No, it was on Twitter. This was a widely spread image. And the point is, we can talk about all these contrived controversies, but the point is do people think Donald Trump is anti-Semitic or not? You are foolish if you think that, because he has a Jewish daughter, he has a Jewish grandkids. 

CUOMO: Here would be my point of suggestion. You're making people think that by defending something that you shouldn't have defended. You should have apologized and said, “I would have never put out an image that was supposed to be offensive to Jews” because of all the reasons that you just offered up. “So this was a mistake and let's move on.” But he didn't do that. 

MCENANY: But he addressed it and that is what people like about Donald Trump. When there's a controversy, he addresses it, unlike Hillary Clinton, who spent the day deriding Donald Trump, never never mentioning why she was contradicted by the FBI director, sitting FBI director. She doesn't address it. Donald Trump takes controversy head on and addresses it and people like that. That's what a real person does.

Previously:

CNN's Lewandowski: Media Firestorm Over Trump's “Star Of David” Tweet Is “Egregious”

CNN's Lord Defends Trump's Star Of David Tweet, Claims Democrats Have The Real “Anti-Semitism Problem”

Bloomberg's John Heilemann: Trump “Should Be Denouncing” His Anti-Semitic Supporters After Star Of David Tweet