Mika Brzezinski Abruptly Cuts Off Michael Wolff on Nikki Haley Rumors for ‘Slurring A Woman’: ‘We’re Done’

Jeff Poor

Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” co-host Mika Brzezinski ended an “Fire & Fury” author Michael Wolff’s appearance when he dismissed the assertion he inferred President Donald Trump was romantically involved with U.N Ambassador Nikki Haley.

The topic was introduced by network regular Susan Del Percio, and Brzezinski asked Wolff if he would put the entire credibility of his book on the question of if he regretted making the inference about Trump and Haley.

Partial transcript as follows:

SUSAN DEL PERCIO: You made news this weekend talking about things you didn’t know firsthand saying you believed it was true, but you had no proof that the president had an affair with someone in his administration.

WOLFF: Yes.

DEL PERCIO: Then you led, and you indicated that if you follow the breadcrumbs, you can figure out who it was. After a lot of rumors came out, it was speculation that you meant Nikki Haley and you said she’s embraced it. Don’t you find that absolutely irresponsible at this point in time where we are when you’re talking about a woman who is a high-profile woman in the Trump administration — to go after her without any evidence, without any facts, it just seems that it is so irresponsible.

WOLFF: Well, first thing I didn’t go after her and secondly, certainly what I meant was that I found it puzzling that she would deny something she was not accused of.

BRZEZINSKI: Wait a minute. Can I just step in here? Let’s put this next question on the entire credibility of your book, which was what —

WOLFF: Excuse me —

BRZEZINSKI: Your book — let’s put it on this next question: Do you regret inferring anything about Nikki Haley?

WOLFF: I didn’t infer anything about Nikki Haley. What I inferred was the president is that — is that many of the people around the president believe he is still involved with various women.

DEL PERCIO: But you said she spent a lot of time and private time with —

(CROSSTALK)

WOLFF: I totally, I totally — I mean, that’s exactly what people report. And specifically, that was about her bid to become secretary of state. So everywhere in the White House, they were suddenly in quite a panic that this was actually happening.

(CROSSTALK)

WOLFF: It’s why they pushed Pompeo out.

BRZEZINSKI: Michael, you said she has embraced it. I am going to go as far as to say you might be having a fun time playing a little game dancing around this, but you’re slurring a woman. It’s disgraceful.

WOLFF: It’s, um, Mika, again, she has been accused of nothing. She has decided to deny something what she has not been accused of. Certainly, I didn’t accuse her of this.

JEFFREY GOLDBERG, THE ATLANTIC: Wait, are you suggesting that the language is not ambiguous in any way in the things you have said and the way you have stated it?

BRZEZINSKI: Come on, are you kidding? You’re on the set of “Morning Joe,” we don’t B.S. here.

WOLFF: What’s — read me the language.

BRZEZINSKI: Are you kidding me? I’m not reading you anything. If you don’t get it — if you don’t get what we’re talking about.

(CROSSTALK)

BRZEZINSKI: If you don’t get what we’re talking about — I’m sorry, this is awkward, you’re on the set with us, but we’re done. Michael Wolff, thank you. We’re going to go to break now.

After the appearance, Wolff followed up with a series of tweets about the interaction.

(h/t RCP Video)

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor

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