CNN’s Dana Bash was unable to get an answer from North Carolina’s Republican Party chair about whether or not former President Donald Trump should be taking advice from a far-right, fringe conspiracy theorist.
Bash spoke to Jason Simmons, the chair of the GOP in North Carolina, to discuss how his party is trying to fend off the Democrats, who put the state back in play after Vice President Kamala Harris entered the presidential race. The state currently has a Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, who is finishing out his second term, and the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, the state’s Attorney General Josh Stein, is polling way ahead of the GOP candidate, the controversial Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, so they have reason to believe the state could be competitive, even though the state has not cast its electoral votes for a Democrat since 2008.
But Bash wanted to know what the GOP was doing about Trump, who is polling slightly behind Harris in North Carolina, and who has been spending a notable amount of time with Laura Loomer, who is known for making racist and anti-Semitic statements as well as spreading baseless conspiracy theories. Simmons, apparently, did not want to talk about that, even after Bash cited North Carolina’s own Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, who tweeted that Loomer was “a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans. A DNC plant couldn’t do a better job than she is doing to hurt President Trump’s chances of winning reelection.”
Below is their exchange:
Simmons: Well, what we continue to see is President Trump listens to a number of individuals, not just one individual that Senator Tillis might want to highlight, but he receives inputs from other various individuals. And as he’s on the ground, he’s constantly asking “What’s going on? What are people seeing? How are they feeling?” and looking for that input, continuing to solicit that advice not just from a single source, but from everybody. And that’s what’s always made President Trump very intellectually curious.
Bash: This is your state’s senator, a Republican, who wants to win the White House and wants to win statewide, putting out unsolicited a tweet saying that “Mr. Former President Donald Trump, stay away from this woman. It is bad for you. It is bad for us.” Do you do not agree with that?
Simmons: Well, as Senator Tillis has highlighted, that’s an opinion that he’s put forward. But President Trump, again, he takes advice and solicits inputs from a variety of sources. Listening to one particular individual is not what President Trump historically has ever done.
Bash: Are you comfortable with Laura Loomer and the anti-Semitic and racist and conspiracy theory posts that she puts out there and comments that she puts out there? You’re comfortable with that being one of the voices he listens to?
Simmons: Well, what I would continue to highlight is what we see from President Trump, where he continues to highlight a message of hope and optimism for our country, being able to put forward messages that being able to restore our economy, restore the southern border and restore our standing in the world.
Bash: You’re not going to answer that, about Laura Loomer?
Simmons: Well, what we continue to see is President Trump putting forward messages once again that as providing opportunities for folks to direct their frustration at this administration. What you’ve seen from this administration, and especially Kamala Harris, where she has been a copilot for the worst administration in U.S. history. President Trump is putting forward policies and directions to restore our economy, to restore the southern border. These are the two issues that continue to be what the voters of North Carolina are concerned about.
Bash: And what your Republican senator is clearly saying is that having someone like Laura Loomer with her — even in New York at 9/11 ceremonies, after she floated that that was an inside job, which has no basis in fact, is hurting what you just said.
Watch the video above via CNN.
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