CNN anchor Pamala Brown took the State Department’s top spokesperson to task on Wednesday after she refused to answer questions on Marco Rubio’s withdrawal from Ukraine peace talks.
The Situation Room’s Brown pressed State Department press secretary Tammy Bruce repeatedly on Secretary of State Rubio’s public threats to walk away from negotiations to end the war if Ukraine didn’t cooperate.
“You are the State Department spokesperson,” Brown told the former Fox News contributor. “It is very fair for me to ask you basic questions about what has been said publicly.”
“I’m trying to be!” Bruce said, demanding Brown “accept my answers.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky balked at a U.S.-backed deal that included accepting Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, which prompted Trump’s fury on Wednesday.
“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Mr. Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our Constitution.”
Rubio said last week the U.S. would “move on” if peace talks weren’t making progress, and he chose to skip peace talks in London on Wednesday. Axios reported Rubio withdrew after learning Ukraine wanted to discuss a ceasefire over a long-term peace plan.
On Wednesday, Bruce repeatedly demurred to, saying negotiations were “not going to be discussed on TV, not between you or me.” She said world leaders can say whatever they want on TV, but what mattered was “when they sit down, and this has been happening, and it’s going to continue to happen.”
But after Brown pushed Bruce to answer for the U.S.’ response to Zelensky’s refusal to back the deal, Bruce accused her for playing for ratings.
“I’ve answered you multiple times about the difference between genuine negotiations, which the president has of course encouraged and his vision involves that,” she said. “But for you, I know you want to have a sense of what ratings might be or pulling people in.”
Brown rejected Bruce’s claim, noting Bruce was the person representing the State Department—and its negotiating positions—during the interview. But Bruce said the the two “will not have this debate.”
Brown then pointed out that Bruce didn’t answer her questions on the U.S. position during the negotiations, which further infuriated Bruce.
“Of course I did,” she claimed. “I didn’t answer it in the way that you wanted me to answer it.”
“That’s not true,” Brown said before pivoting to more questions. “It doesn’t help anyone, any of our viewers, unless I can get the question out.”
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