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Leaked CNN transcript reveals Stephen Miller's off-camera argument with Jake Tapper: 'You should be ashamed of yourself'

White House adviser reportedly refused to leave TV set after row

Tom Embury-Dennis
Tuesday 09 January 2018 06:47 EST
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Jake Tapper cuts off Stephen Miller on CNN: 'I've wasted enough of my viewers' time'

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Donald Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller continued a heated argument with a CNN presenter even after the interview was abruptly ended, a leaked transcript showed.

Mr Miller was accused of “wasting my viewers’ time” by Jake Tapper after appearing on State of the Union to defend Donald Trump over claims contained in an explosive new book.

Tapper concluded the interview early after Mr Miller repeatedly spoke over the presenter and avoided questions about a meeting between Trump campaign officials and a Russian lawyer.

According to an audio transcript obtained by a CBS News producer, after going off-air, Mr Miller told the CNN host: “Jake, what I care about is having three minutes to tell the truth about the President of the United States.”

Tapper replied that he gave him a “three-minute filibuster” at the start of the show.

Mr Miller continued: “You should be ashamed of yourself. Honestly.”

Tapper responded: “This is the reason they don’t put you out on TV. Okay? This is the reason.”

Mr Miller was reportedly asked to leave multiple times but refused to do so. He was subsequently escorted off the set, according to The Hill. CNN has declined to comment on the incident.

During the interview, Mr Miller defended accusations made against the Trump administration in Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, by saying author Michael Wolff had written a “garbage book”.

He said Mr Trump had “tapped into something magical that's happening in the heart of this country”, and insisted the President’s claim to be a genius was “a very true statement”.

He also accused CNN of creating a “toxic environment” and reporting “extremely fake news” regarding a story the channel was forced to retract regarding Mr Trump’s son Donald Jr and Wikileaks.

The interview came to an end after Mr Tapper suggested the only viewer Mr Miller cared about was Mr Trump himself.

Mr Trump later took to Twitter to show he had watched the row.

“Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration,” the President said.

CNN has been contacted for comment.

Transcript in full

Miller: Jake, what I care about is having three minutes to tell the truth about the President of the United States.

Tapper: You had plenty of time. I let you give like a three-minute filibuster at the very top.

Miller: You gave me two minutes.

Tapper: Stephen. Okay. Thanks for coming.

Miller: You should be ashamed of yourself, honestly.

Tapper: This is the reason they don't put you out on TV, okay. This is the reason.

Miller: No, Jake, you brought me on to talk about the Camp David summit and you -

Tapper: First of all, I had plenty of questions about immigration, but you kept telling the same story over and over.

Miller: Because you’re asking about the salacious – (inaudible)

Miller (cont.): Look that’s all you want to talk about and you don’t have any interest in talking about –

Tapper: I had plenty of questions but you kept on repeating yourself and kept on not letting me ask my questions.

Miller: Really, because you’re (inaudible) calling me a factotum.

Tapper: After you spent the entire interview attacking CNN and (inaudible), OK, so don’t act all offended.

Miller: I'm not acting offended. I am offended. I'm offended by you and I'm offended by your network.

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