Kellyanne Conway admitted Sunday that video put out by the White House of Jim Acosta “karate chopping” a White House aide had ben “sped up,” but added that she didn’t believe it made the footage misleading or doctored.
“I have to disagree with the overwrought description of this video being doctored as if we put someone else’s arm in there,” she said. “That’s not altered. That’s sped up. They do it all the time in sports to see if there’s actually a first down or a touchdown.”
Conway made the concession under questioning by “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace.
The Conway answer is the latest development in the mystery of the video, first promoted last week by Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The video shows the encounter between Acosta and a White House aide last week, with a zoom that is then sped up at the moment Acosta and the aide tussled for the mic.
The sped up quality gives the distinct impression that Acosta’s hand made contact with the intern with more force than it actually did. The moment was widely picked up in conservative media last week.
On Wednesday, Acosta and President Trump had their latest nasty exchange, which ended in a presidential explosion at the CNN correspondent on live television.
“CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them,” Trump said. “The way you treat Sarah Huckabee is horrible. The way you treat other people are horrible. You shouldn’t treat people that way.”
Acosta’s press credentials were revoked just hours later, something the network is currently considering legal action to redress. The White House cited Acosta’s “karate chop” as the proximate cause
In a statement, CNN said the White House characterization of the incident was “fraudulent” and added that the revocation of Acosta’s credentials were “a threat to our democracy”
Tonight the White House revoked @Acosta’s press pass. CNN’s response to @PressSec and @realDonaldTrump: pic.twitter.com/EY2iFLvP3P
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 8, 2018