White House: Cohn didn’t fake bad reception on Trump call

WASHINGTON — The White House is disputing a Democratic senator’s claim that top economic adviser Gary Cohn faked bad reception to get President Donald Trump off the phone.

Delaware Sen. Tom Carper said Wednesday in an interview with CNN that he and other Democrats had been in a meeting earlier this month with several White House officials discussing the GOP tax reform plan when the president called from Asia. Cohn put him on speakerphone.

Carper said the group listened to the president speak, but after about 15 minutes, “the president’s still talking.” So he suggested Cohn take the phone and say: “Mr. President, you’re brilliant! But we’re losing contact and I think we’re going to lose you now, so goodbye.”

Carper said Cohn did just that. “I don’t want to throw him under the bus, but yes,” he told the hosts.

White House spokesman Raj Shah disputed Carper’s account as “completely false.” He said Cohn spoke with Trump privately for several minutes before ending the call.

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Carper spokeswoman Meghan Pennington says the senator stands by his account.

The Associated Press