Ex-Trump Campaign Manager Stepien Calls Corruption Headlines 'Ugly' but Accurate on CNN

Bill Stepien, who managed President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign, said on CNN on Saturday that Americans are not seeing Trump drain the swamp as promised. He called increasingly frequent headlines about apparent corruption in the administration ugly but not inaccurate. Stepien, who was also White House political director in Trump's first term, spoke on CNN's "Table For Five" panel, hosted by Abby Phillip. Phillip cited a CNBC poll in which 36 percent of respondents named government corruption as their top issue, and said the corruption message had broken through. Stepien replied that the poll was taken right after Kimberly Guilfoyle's resignation and a week-long news cycle he described as very bad. The Wall Street Journal reported that Guilfoyle was asked to resign as U.S. ambassador to Greece amid allegations of misconduct and misappropriation of funds. She has publicly denied the allegations and resigned on Oct. 13. Alyssa Farah Griffin also appeared on the panel.

HuffPost, on the left, leads with Stepien's admission, and its headline casts it as a concession that Americans do not see the swamp being drained. It gives the most detail: Phillip's polling question, the 36 percent figure, the Guilfoyle allegations, the Journal as source, her denial, the Oct. 13 date and Farah Griffin's presence. The Hill, in the alternative/independent category, frames it as a midterm warning, saying Stepien joins a growing list predicting doom for Republicans, with corruption allegations as a key reason. Its headline quotes his word "ugly" and ties it to the GOP. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had. Those covering it focus on Stepien's remarks about corruption and the political risk to Republicans. The available excerpts do not show what Stepien said about consequences.