President-elect Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Thursday that the U.S. government's relationship with Moscow during Trump's presidency "depends an awful lot on Russia."
Conway spoke with "The O'Reilly Factor" hours after President Barack Obama encouraged his successor to "stand up to Russia where they are deviating from our values and international norms," in addition to "finding areas where we can cooperate" with Moscow.
"[That] cuts right to the heart of what many in the media have been saying about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin," Conway told host Eric Bolling, "that somehow they’re friends and intimates and Donald Trump’s going to work with Vladimir Putin. We just heard President Obama say, ‘Find constructive ways to work with Russia when it is in America’s best interests and find ways to push back when it’s not.’ That’s what Donald Trump has been saying on the campaign trail all along."
Conway also discussed this weekend's planned meeting between Trump and 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, who repeatedly criticized Trump during the campaign.
"Mitt Romney’s a job creator. He’s an American success story. He knows a lot about the world. Many things that Mitt Romney talked about in his 2012 election with respect to the world stage have come true," Conway said. "And I anticipate meeting a meeting of the minds and of two equal partners in terms of those who love their country and want to make sure we have a peaceful and democratic transition into the next administration and we know that Gov. Romney can add to that conversation."
Conway played down speculation that Romney could be asked to join Trump's administration, saying that "not every conversation Mr. Trump is having this week as the President-elect is going to lead to a Cabinet position [or] is going to lead to a senior strategy role. He is a man who listens and who learns, and one listens and learns from him as well, so it’s always a two-way street."