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CNN anchor confronts Trump campaign about plagiarism: 'You keep ignoring it, and I don't understand why'
(Chris Cuomo confronts Paul Manafort on CNN.CNN)
Donald Trump's campaign chair continued to deny on Tuesday that the campaign made a mistake when Melania Trump delivered a speech that overtly resembled several sections of first lady Michelle Obama's 2008 Democratic National Convention address.
In an interview on CNN's "New Day," host Chris Cuomo repeatedly pushed Trump Campaign Chair Paul Manafort to acknowledge that parts of Melania Trump's speech at the Republican National Convention on Monday were plagiarized.
"It's as plain as day to look at them side by side. Will you acknowledge that, and then move on?" Cuomo said.
Manafort insisted that the speech was "very effective," and said that accusations of plagiarism were "not meaningful at all."
"The speech that Melania Trump gave is a speech that was very personal to her. It was a speech that talked about her love of her country, how she emigrated here, the opportunities that America gave to her as she came here, and she talked about meeting a man named Donald Trump," Manafort said.
Cuomo didn't let the question go, asking Manafort why he would not acknowledge that parts of the speech were lifted from Obama's 2008 address.
"I can't move on because you keep lying about it, so I can't move on from it, because I have to talk about what is true," Cuomo said.
"Chris, I'm not lying about anything. I'm not lying about anything, Chris," Manafort said.
"You are denying by failing to acknowledge something that's also true: Some of those words came from Michelle Obama's speech in 2008. All kinds of experts and anyone with eyes can see that. You keep ignoring it, and I don't understand why. I don't understand why you keep making this an issue," Cuomo said.
When Manafort said he "didn't have to agree" that sections of the speech were plagiarized, the CNN anchor cut in.
"Paul, I'm not here to beat you over the head with that. I thought you came here to own something that's small and move on to all these other great things that are going on at this convention," Cuomo said.
Since a Twitter user noticed the similarities between Obama and Trump's speeches on Monday, the campaign has attempted to brush off criticisms that the speech was plagiarized. Manafort told CBS on Tuesday that that over 50 words that were in both speeches were potentially the result of "subconscious" copying.
"We're talking about compassion, love of family, respect — these are not words that belong to the Obama family," Manafort told CBS.
Watch several clips below, via CNN:
Donald Trump campaign chair @PaulManafort: Plagiarism controversy "is not meaningful at all...that's the final word" https://t.co/iYc521jZwf
— New Day (@NewDay) July 20, 2016
Trump campaign chair @PaulManafort refuses to acknowledge parts of Melania Trump's speech came from Michelle Obama's https://t.co/PiHb8Zkk4X
— New Day (@NewDay) July 20, 2016
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