WASHINGTON – George Conway III, attorney and husband of Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, said he does not think his public criticism of President Donald Trump is affecting his wife’s senior White House job, adding that his newly formed group is aimed at calling out the “crazy shit” Trump says about the law.
Conway recently organized the group “Checks and Balances” with conservative and libertarian attorneys. According to the group’s mission statement, “We believe in the rule of law, the power of truth, the independence of the criminal justice system, the imperative of individual rights and the necessity of civil discourse. We believe these principles apply regardless of the party or persons in power. We believe in ‘a government of laws, not of men.’”
The statement, which was signed by attorneys such as Tom Ridge, the former Pennsylvania governor who was secretary of Homeland Security under former President George W. Bush, said their group intends to “provide a voice and a network for like-minded attorneys to discuss these ideas, and we hope that they will join with us to stand up for these principles.”
Conway often posts critical tweets about Trump. He has co-authored recent op-eds with former Obama administration Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal stating that Trump’s proposal to end birthright citizenship is unconstitutional and declaring that Trump’s appointment of Matt Whitaker as acting attorney general violated the Constitution because “a principal officer must be confirmed by the Senate.”
Conway was asked at the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention on Friday what outcome he is hoping for as a result of organizing Checks and Balances.
“The outcome is just to get people to, you know – look, you love the judges, you love the regulatory reform, that’s great,” Conway told PJM. “Regulatory reform is great. It’s just like when the guy says crazy shit about the law, you just have to say, ‘no that’s wrong,’ that’s all, and people should be able to say that, that’s all.”
After Conway’s New York Times op-ed arguing the Whitaker appointment was unconstitutional, Trump was asked by a White House reporter Nov. 9, “Is Kellyanne’s husband wrong?”
“You mean Mr. Kellyanne Conway?” Trump replied. “He’s just trying to get publicity for himself. Why don’t you do this, why don’t you ask Kellyanne that question, all right? She might know him better than me. I really don’t know the guy.”
Conway was asked if he thinks his public criticism of Trump is affecting his wife’s job in the administration.
“I don’t think so,” Conway replied. “I don’t think so, but other people should be able to speak out, too, because they’re not married to her so they should be able to speak out, too.”
Conway had a message for anyone wondering if his public disagreements with Trump are putting a strain on his relationship with Kellyanne Conway.
“Well, look, that’s my business, not theirs,” Conway said.
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