FACT CHECK: Did Kayleigh McEnany Give Lesley Stahl A Blank Book Of The Trump Administration’s Health Care Achievements?
An image shared on Facebook claims White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany gave “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl a book of the Trump administration’s health care accomplishments that contained only blank pages.
Verdict: False
There is no indication the book contained only blank pages. A spokesperson for CBS News confirmed there was material within the book.
Fact Check:
President Donald Trump on Oct. 20 sat for an extended interview with Stahl for an upcoming episode of “60 Minutes.” Trump ended the interview early and proceeded to release his own footage of it on his personal Facebook account prior to the episode’s airing, Politico reported. (RELATED: Trump Says That Health Care Premiums Are Dropping Under His Watch)
The image features a screen grab of a tweet from Mike Sington showing images of Stahl flipping through a large book which purportedly contained only blank pages. “Trying to impress her, Kayleigh McEnany hands Leslie Stahl a large book containing the Administration’s work on health care,” the tweet reads. “I don’t think she expected Stahl to look at the book, because it’s blank.”
While McEnany did, according to a photo she shared on Twitter, give Stahl a large book allegedly containing Trump’s accomplishments in health care, the Daily Caller News Foundation found no indication that the book was full of blank pages. McEnany said in a statement to Forbes the book contained “everything President Trump has signed – executive orders and legislation – to improve healthcare for Americans.”
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign directed the DCNF to a report from the Washington Examiner. The Washington Examiner reportedly obtained a PDF copy of the book that showed its “512 pages contain 13 executive orders and 11 other pieces of healthcare legislation enacted under Trump.” The PDF copy also “matched the physical book’s contents,” the outlet reported.
Kevin Tedesco, a director of communications at CBS News who works on “60 Minutes,” also confirmed the book was not blank, telling the DCNF in an email that the book “did indeed have material in it.” In the “60 Minutes” segment, Stahl narrates, “It was heavy. Filled with executive orders, congressional initiatives, but no comprehensive health plan.”
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