White House counselor Kellyanne Conway insisted Thursday she hasn't been sidelined from her television appearances, denying a CNN report claiming that she had been pulled back after making statements conflicting with the White House.
"Well, here I am," she told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program. "I offer to go on TV often. I don't know why I would have to explain myself, but okay, I will. I spent the last several days with four kids looking at schools and homes in D.C."
She further said reports such as the one from CNN Money, which quoted "people close to the White House," are "silly."
Conway came under fire last week for commenting that former national security adviser Michael Flynn had the "full confidence" of President Donald Trump hours before Flynn submitted his resignation, and sources told CNN Money she was "off message."
The next day, Conway told NBC's "Today" program that Flynn offered to resign, but White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump asked for his resignation.
After that, MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Mika Brzezinski declared Conway would no longer be on the program she and Joe Scarborough co-hosts.
Conway also met with controversy after plugging Ivanka Trump's clothing line during a Feb. 9 Fox News interview, leading House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz call her remarks "unacceptable."
Until Wednesday night, Conway had not been interviewed on television since last week.
After CNN's report came out, however, she made an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity" program, where she commented that about 5 percent of what she's asked to do as White House counselor is to make TV appearances.
"I've also gobbled up a lot of TV opportunities, so there's some resentment there on the outside, I believe, and folks trying to use me for clickbait and headlines," she told Hannity, The Hill reports.
Further, she said Trump is his "own best messenger" and that she and other administration officials "don't need to be out there all the time. I don't think I have to explain myself if I'm not going to go on TV for a week."
On Thursday, Conway told "Fox & Friends" that such media stories build up people to tear them down.
"That's all right," she said. "I'm focused on why we are here. I'm focused on why we are here. I'm focused on the president's agenda, what he has entrusted all of us on his senior team to do for him and for this nation.
"We are playing long ball here. He will be here for eight years. We recognize that — we recognize that there will be people who will be trying to throw crocodiles in our way."
Conway said there is often a "different set of questions" for her, and reiterated that Trump is his own best messenger.
"I have said for months that I wanted to reduce my TV exposure, my press portfolio mostly because I think he is his own best messenger," said Conway. "He had a press conference last week, 77 minutes; two days later he had a rally in Florida. Sean Spicer is our press secretary, I'm not."
Conway will be the opening speaker Thursday for the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C.