News

Trump: Katie Couric ‘should be ashamed’

by Jesse Byrnes - 05/31/16 7:41 PM ET

Donald Trump on Tuesday evening went after Katie Couric, saying she “should be ashamed” about the editing of a documentary on gun violence she produced.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee called Couric a “third rate reporter” in a tweet, while slamming the film’s “fraudulent editing.”

Katie Couric, the third rate reporter, who has been largely forgotten, should be ashamed of herself for the fraudulent editing of her doc.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2016

Couric issued a statement earlier Tuesday taking responsibility for a “misleading” scene in “Under the Gun,” during which gun rights activists appeared stumped by a question posed by the veteran journalist.

The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) released audio of the interview last week to a blogger showing that one member of the group immediately responded to the question, without the extended pause.

“When VCDL members recently pointed out that they had in fact immediately answered this question, I went back and reviewed it and agree that those eight seconds do not accurately represent their response,” Couric said.

“I regret that those eight seconds were misleading and that I did not raise my initial concerns more vigorously,” Couric said in her statement, accompanying a transcript of the full exchange posted on a website for the film.

Stephanie Soechtig, the film’s director, said last week the scene was meant to “provide a pause for the viewer to have a moment to consider this important question before presenting the facts on Americans’ opinions on background checks.”

“I never intended to make anyone look bad and I apologize if anyone felt that way,” she told The Washington Post.

Trump’s comments came the same day that he escalated his feuding with members of the media during a combative press conference detailing funds he’s raised for veterans groups after months of pressure from the media.

Tags Donald Trump