Former President Trump on Monday lashed out at a former staffer who has been increasingly critical of his rhetoric surrounding the 2020 election.
Trump, in a lengthy statement, attacked former White House communications director Alyssa Farah as a “backbencher” after she told CNN that Trump admitted to her in the aftermath of the November election that he’d lost.
“He told me shortly after that he knew he lost, but then folks got around him. They got information in front of him, and I think his mind genuinely might have been changed about that, and that’s scary because he did lose.”
Those comments were the latest in a string of criticisms from Farah in recent weeks as she appeared on “The View” and CNN. Farah, who also served as a spokeswoman for former Vice President Mike Pence and the Pentagon, told CNN on Saturday she would not vote for Trump if he ran again.
“It’s amazing how these people leave with respect and adoration for me and others in the White House, but as soon as CNN or other cameras get shoved in their face, or the losers from the The View ask a question, or money gets thrown at them, or someone writes a fake book, inglorious lightweights like Farah change so quickly,” Trump said in a statement through his political action committee.
“I watched this clown on television saying exactly what they wanted her to say and I watched the lies,” Trump continued. “Was she paid by low-ratings CNN? By the way, as soon as the Crime of the Century happened on November 3rd, I knew the Election was Rigged and Stolen, and never changed my view on that one bit.”
Trump noted Farah’s resignation letter, in which she said it was the “honor of a lifetime” to serve in the administration and laid out various Trump administration accomplishments she was “deeply proud of.”
Farah, who has been a periodic host of “Rising” on Hill.TV, tweeted earlier Monday that she was leaving for her honeymoon.
“I see I have honeymoon well wishes from my former boss! Too kind!” Farah tweeted moments after Trump’s statement was published.
Farah joined the Trump White House in April 2020 as an ally of former chief of staff Mark Meadows. She became an increasingly regular presence on Fox News as a spokeswoman for the White House, and she resigned in December after Trump lost the election.
In the months since, Farah has been more outspoken than most former Trump aides about his debunked claims that the election was fraudulent.
Farah told CNN earlier this month it would be a “nightmare scenario” if Trump were to win reelection in 2024.
“Whether it’s weaponizing the Justice Department against political opponents, whether it’s going after the free press, he would certainly be open to using the military for political reasons as well,” Farah told the network.
Farah has reportedly spoken voluntarily with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. Testimony from Farah and other former Pence aides could prove politically problematic for Trump even as his own former aides have refused to cooperate.