White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany responded Tuesday to the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s tweet suggesting MSNBC host Joe Scarborough may have murdered one of his congressional staffers when he was a representative 19 years ago.
McEnany pointed to a follow-up tweet from Trump that stated this idea of foul play related to the death of Lori Klausutis is not an “original” thought on his part.
“I would note that the president said this morning that this is not an original Trump thought and it is not,” she said before bringing up a recently-unearthed clip of Scarborough joking with media personality Don Imus about seducing and killing interns in 2003, which was two years after Klausutis died.
“Joe Scarborough himself brought this up with Don Imus and Joe Scarborough can answer it,” she said.
When one reporter at Tuesday’s briefing said it’s slightly different when the President of the United States uses his platform to spread a conspiracy, McEnany continued to hit Scarborough and his “Morning Joe” co-host and wife, Mika Brzezinski, after a reporter at the briefing questioned Trump’s use of Twitter to spread conspiracies.
“Joe Scarborough — if we want to start talking about false accusations, we have quite a few we can go through,” she said, pointing to Brzezinski holding Trump responsible for the roughly 100,000 American coronavirus deaths and Scarborough warning about the dangers of hydroxychloroquine after Trump said he was taking the drug. “They should be held to account for their falsehoods.”
Klausutis died in 2001 while an aide for then-GOP Rep. Scarborough. She suffered from an undiagnosed heart condition and died after fainting and hitting her head on her desk. Klausutis’ widower wrote to Twitter last week imploring the platform to delete Trump’s tweets about his late wife. The letter was obtained by New York Times opinion writer Kara Swisher and read on “Morning Joe” Tuesday.
According to Swisher’s Tuesday piece, “Twitter Must Cleanse the Trump Stain,” Timothy Klausutis’ letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey read, “Please delete those tweets. My wife deserves better.”
Twitter apologized in a statement on Tuesday morning “We are deeply sorry about the pain these statements, and the attention they are drawing, are causing the family,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “We’ve been working to expand existing product features and policies so we can more effectively address things like this going forward, and we hope to have those changes in place shortly.”
A representative for Twitter said the company will not be taking action against Trump’s tweets because they do not violate any specific rules.
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread, even the Hollywood community has been affected. From actors to executives, here is a list of confirmed celebrity coronavirus cases.Photo credit: Getty ImagesTom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson announced they both tested positive for the coronavirus in Australia while filming their Elvis Presley biopic. The couple isolated themselves and are keeping their spirits up, sharing their experience on Instagram.Photo credit: Getty ImagesFormer Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko posted on Instagram Sunday that she was self-quarantining after testing positive for the coronavirus. She appeared in "Quantum of Solace" opposite Daniel Craig in 2008 and in the sci-fi movie "Oblivion."Photo credit: Getty ImagesIdris Elba posted a video on Twitter Monday saying that he tested positive for the coronavirus. The British actor said he is asymptomatic and encourages people to stay pragmatic.Photo credit: Getty ImagesLucian Grainge, longtime chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, tested positive for the coronavirus and has been hospitalized at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. On April 6, he sent a memo to staff saying he was going to make a full recovery. Photo credit: Getty ImagesKristofer Hivju posted on Instagram Monday that he tested positive for the coronavirus. The "Game of Thrones" alum is set to star on season 2 of Netflix's "The Witcher." Photo credit: Getty ImagesRachel Matthews, the voice of Honeymaren in "Frozen II" and an actress known for "Looking for Alaska" and "Happy Death Day 2 You," said in a series of posts on her Instagram story (via Page Six) that she tested positive for the coronavirus. Matthews described her symptoms over the course of a week in her posts and added that she found tests for the virus "INSANELY hard to come by." Photo credit: Getty ImagesKevin Durant, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and currently a player for the Brooklyn Nets, was one of four players who tested positive for the coronavirus, according to The Athletic. "Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We're going to get through this," he told The Athletic.Photo credit: Getty ImagesActor Daniel Dae Kim announced on Instagram Thursday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. “For all those out there, especially teenagers and millennials who think this is not serious, please know that it is,” the former "Lost" and "Hawaii Five-0" star pleaded. He has since recovered from the virus.Photo credit: Getty ImagesPrince Albert of Monaco is the first known head of state to contract the coronavirus.Photo credit: Getty ImagesSean Payton told ESPN he tested positive for the coronavirus. He is the first confirmed case in the NFLPhoto credit: Getty ImagesColton Underwood, former star of "The Bachelor," revealed in a Twitter video that despite being 28-years-old and healthy, he still tested positive for the coronavirus. Photo credit: Getty ImagesAndy Cohen, host of "Watch What Happens Live" on Bravo, announced he tested positive on March 20.Photo credit: Getty ImagesActress Debi Mazar ("Goodfellas," "Younger") announced on March 21 that she had tested positive for COVID-19. "Today my lungs are heavy, but I’m tough," she wrote. "I can breath, and I’m going to heal here, in my own home! My family is under quarantine for 14 days."Getty ImagesOpera legend Placido Domingo announced on March 22 that he tested positive for COVID-19. "Together we can fight this virus and stop the current worldwide crisis, so we can hopefully return to our normal daily lives very soon," he wrote on Facebook.Getty Images"Les Miserables" actor Aaron Tveit announced he tested positive for the virus in a lengthy Instagram post. "I consider myself extremely lucky that my symptoms have been very mild," he wrote.Getty ImagesSen. Rand Paul became the first U.S. senator to test positive for the virus Sunday.Getty ImagesHarvey Weinstein has tested positive for the virus in prison, according to a report from the Niagara Gazette.Getty Images"Game of Thrones" actress Indira Varma revealed she was sick with the virus last week.HBODaytime Emmy Award winner Greg Rikaart ("The Young and the Restless") announced on Instagram that he tested positive for the coronavirus. "Nice try coronavirus, but I have another 4-5 decades worth of experiences to have with these guys," he wrote, referring to his husband and son.Getty ImagesPlaywright Terrence McNally died of coronavirus-related complications on March 24.Getty ImagesHouston rapper Slim Thug said in an Instagram video posted on March 24 that he tested positive for coronavirus.Getty ImagesPrince Charles, the first in line to the British throne, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus but remains in "good health," his office announced on Wednesday.Getty ImagesJackson Browne, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, also announced that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. He is recuperating in his Los Angeles home.Getty ImagesIn a memo to staff Thursday, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell revealed he had tested positive for the coronavirus and "improving every day."Getty ImagesChef Floyd Cardoz died of coronavirus complications on March 25. He won the third season of "Top Chef Masters" and appeared in numerous other cooking programs. He was 59.Getty ImagesMark Blum, who starred in "Desperately Seeking Susan" and "You," died of coronavirus complications on March 26. He was 69.Getty ImagesESPN NBA analyst and reporter Doris Burke revealed Friday she tested positive for the coronavirus, and that it took eight days for her to get her results. Fortunately, she has been symptom-free.Getty ImagesChuck Billy, frontman for the thrash-metal band Testament, told Rolling Stone, "I had an achy body, headaches, coughing, tight chest, I lost my sense of smell and taste — the whole thing." A few days later, he and his wife Tiffany learned they had the coronavirus.Getty ImagesHouston rapper Scarface revealed in a livestream with Geto Boys’ bandmate Willie D. that he tested positive for COVID-19 after having symptoms that began with the lack of taste and smell.Getty ImagesAdam Schlesinger, the songwriter best known for his work with the rock band Fountains of Wayne and the TV show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” has been hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms. Sadly, the 52-year-old rocker died on April 1.Getty ImagesChris Cuomo announced on March 31 he tested positive for the coronavirus. The anchor has been hosting the show from his basement. Cuomo also revealed shortly after his own diagnosis that his wife too tested positive.Getty ImagesTennis commentator Patrick McEnroe announced March 31 he tested positive for the coronavirus. The brother of John McEnroe says he quarantined himself in his basement and is "feeling fine."Getty ImagesEddie Large, one-half of the comedy duo Little and Large, contracting coronavirus while hospitalized for heart failure. Sadly, he died on April 2 at age 78.Getty ImagesJim Edmonds, MLB player turned "Real Housewives of Orange County" star, said he tested positive for both pneumonia and the coronavirus but is "completely symptom-free" now.Getty ImagesActress Ali Wentworth, who is married to ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, revealed on Instagram she tested positive for the coronavirus and "has never been sicker." She is quarantined from her family.Getty ImagesTony-award winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell tweeted he tested positive for the coronavirus and was self-isolating. He added he was feeling better and "over the hump." Getty Images"Love Song" singer and Broadway star of the musical "Waitress" Sara Bareilles revealed she had tested positive for the virus and is already feeling better, she said in an Instagram story Friday.Getty ImagesCNN anchor Brooke Baldwin tested positive for coronavirus despite practicing social distancing. "I am okay," she posted on Instagram. "It came on suddenly yesterday afternoon. Chills, aches, fever. I’ve been social distancing. Doing ALL the things we’re being told to do. Still — it got me."CNNChristopher Cross, the singer-songwriter best known for "Sailing," announced he tested positive for cornonavirus in a lengthy Instagram post. "Although I am fortunate enough to be cared for at home, this is possibly the worst illness I've ever had," he wrote.Jessie Pearl/Wikimedia CommonsThe pop singer Pink revealed on Twitter that she tested positive for coronavirus but said that after two weeks of self-isolating, she then tested negative for COVID-19 and had recovered. Pink then agreed to donate $1 million split among two different crisis relief funds.Getty ImagesThe singer and songwriter Marianne Faithfull, who came to fame as part of the 1960s British Invasion with her single "As Tears Go By," was hospitalized in London after testing positive for the coronavirus, her reps told Rolling Stone. On April 22, Faithfull's team revealed that after being hospitalized for the past 22 days, she was released from the hospital to recuperate in London. Her team also added that the hospital staff from the British NHS "without doubt, saved her life."Getty ImagesDuran Duran singer John Taylor announced on Facebook that he had tested positive for coronavirus -- and fully recovered. "I want to let you know that it isn't always a killer, and we can and will beat this thing," he wrote.Getty ImagesReality TV star Todd Chrisley ("Chrisley Knows Best") revealed he tested positive for the coronavirus on his podcast. "It has been the sickest I have ever been on this earth," he said. "Hopefully, I will get better every day, but as of right now, folks, I still am not clicking on all cylinders."Getty Images"Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Jennifer Aydin revealed she tested positive for the coronavirus after asking her husband -- a plastic surgeon -- to bring home a test. The reality TV star has been quarantining herself away from her five children.Getty Images"Fox & Friends" weekend host Jedidiah Bila said on Instagram that she has been recovering from her coronavirus diagnosis while absent from the air. The former "View" host said she's "very much on the mend."Getty ImagesKenny "Babyface" Edmonds told his Instagram followers on April 10, which is also his birthday, that he and his family tested positive for COVID-19 but have since recovered. "It's an incredibly scaring thing to go through my friends," he wrote.Getty ImagesCountry music singer Sturgill Simpson posted a photo on Instagram On April 11 of him lying on a hospital bed, wearing a face mask. "After almost one month without any symptoms, I received a call from the Nashville CDC stating that my test resulted in a positive detection for Covid-19," he wrote.Getty Images"Good Morning America" anchor George Stephanopoulos announced he tested positive for the coronavirus just a few days after his wife, Ali Wentworth, revealed her diagnosis. Fortunately, the tv host says he has been asymptomatic and is "feeling great."Getty ImagesWreckless Eric, the '70s pop rock star and singer of the track "Whole Wide World," revealed in a blog post on April 19 that he tested positive for coronavirus after weeks of experiencing symptoms but being unable to receive a test. "I haven’t actually been very well in the past three or four weeks - chest and rib pains, cough, low level fever, intermittent headaches - I was pretty sure it must be the virus though I was told the only way I could get confirmation of this was by presenting myself at the emergency room, death’s door, sick to the point of dying, ready to be hospitalised…No f---ing thank you." Wreckless Eric, real name Eric Goulden, revealed that though he tested positive his wife did not.(Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns) via Getty ImagesCNN International anchor Richard Quest revealed via Twitter on April 20 that he "caught coronavirus. I am blessed in that I have few symptoms - just a cough."Getty ImagesBroadway star Danny Burstein said in a video interview with "CBS This Morning" on April 21 that he had just been released from the hospital after a five-day stay. He told the morning show that he will "absolutely" return to the stage once he is healthy and theaters reopen.Matthew Murphy, 2018NFL Draft and College Football Analyst Todd McShay revealed on the day of the 2020 NFL Draft that he would not be able to work the gig this year because he is "home recovering from coronavirus." "I'll be back," he promised -- just not in time for this year's festivities.“60 Minutes” host Lesley Stahl revealed on-air on May 3 that she had been diagnosed with the coronavirus and had made a full recovery after being hospitalized. In tribute to the doctors and nurses, she said, "We all owe them our gratitude, our admiration and, in some cases, our lives."Getty ImagesLegendary Auburn football coach Pat Dye is "very weak" after combating COVID-19 and other medical conditions, TMZ reported on May 21.Getty ImagesFormer New York Knicks star and current Georgetown University coach Patrick Ewing announced on May 22 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. He said on Twitter, "This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly. I want to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones."Getty ImagesNeera Tanden, who the president of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress and a frequent guest on "Real Time With Bill Maher," MSNBC, CNN and Fox News, announced on Twitter on May 23 that she has the coronavirus. "I only went out for necessities and wore masks," she wrote. "This is obviously a very transmissible virus. People need to take a lot of care and the idea we can just reopen is very scary."Getty ImagesAndrea Bocelli revealed in a Facebook post that he and members of his family had tested positive for COVID-19. He added that they had a "swift and full recovery" and that he later donated blood to coronavirus research.Getty ImagesStars Who Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus (Photos) Tom Hanks, Idris Elba and Prince Charles have all come down with COVID-19 View In Gallery
