Schlapp was asked by Fox Business anchor Larry Kudlow “where was the smoking gun with Donald Trump?” in the video played at the committee Thursday’s hearing which chronologically detailed the riot in Washington, D.C. that occurred 18 months ago.
Schlapp, who served in the Trump administration between September 2017 and July 2019, and worked on the former president’s 2020 re-election campaign replied: “Let’s ask the ABC producer who’s putting together these doctored videos and trying to make this case of where is the smoking gun, right?”
This referred to former network news executive James Goldston, who is also the founder of the production company Aquitania, which Newsweek has contacted for comment. He put together material, including previously unseen footage, as part of a multimedia presentation for the prime-time hearing.
Goldston’s video and the hearing itself was watched by around 20 million Americans, according to Nielsen.
The audience was smaller than for other prime-time political events such as the 38 million who tuned in to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address in March, but is much larger than the audience for a typical congressional hearing, The Hill reported.
Major television channels including NBC, CBS, MSNBC and CNN broadcast the committee’s findings but Fox News relegated it to secondary outlets.
Schlapp did not specify why she thought the video was doctored nor did she provide any evidence. Axios reported last week that Trump allies were planning a media counterattack, arguing that the committee was a partisan fishing expedition that lacks legal legitimacy.
Schlapp suggested that the hearing showed that the Democrats were out of step with the real concerns of Americans who are facing rising fuel and food prices.
“There was this initial anticipation and people tuned into the hearings, " she said on Friday.
“I think that the Democrats are going to have a very hard time making their case, especially when you’re talking about families having to pay for $95, even more to fill up their tanks and people are talking about food prices going up.”
Kudlow agreed with Schlapp, calling the hearing a “distraction” adding: “I don’t know where they think this is going, I don’t think it is going anywhere.”
He then took a swipe at committee’s vice-chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) who has gone against her party in pursuing Trump. “Is this a new employment ad for Liz Cheney after she loses her job in the House.” He finished the segment saying, “Nobody is happy about January 6 but I think this thing is a kangaroo court.”
