I thought I'd seen everything as a White House reporter. Then Kellyanne Conway asked my ethnicity www.independent.co.uk

After a decade as a journalist in Washington DC, working for a variety of outlets and covering a number of different beats, I'd thought I'd seen everything. Apparently, I was wrong.

No elected representative or government official enjoys being on the receiving end of pointed — even adversarial — questions, but because most understand that it's part and parcel of life in a country with a free press, I never expected one of my questions to elicit a response like the one got from Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway. This week, I asked her what countries President Trump was referring to in a tweet storm 48 hours earlier, when he'd suggested that a quartet of freshman House Democrats — women and minorities all – could "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."

Rather than answer the question, Conway fired back with a question of her own: "What is your ethnicity?"

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For the record, my own family's background is mix of Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and Russian stock, but I didn't volunteer this because, as I told her, it had nothing to do with the question I'd asked.

Shape Created with Sketch. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 22 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 1/22 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has announced that he will be running again in 2020 after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He intends to run on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty 2/22 Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well EPA 3/22 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. Reuters 4/22 Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but has struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty 5/22 Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty 6/22 Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He intends to run on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP 7/22 Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters 8/22 Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority Getty 9/22 Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News 10/22 Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty 11/22 Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty 12/22 John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP 13/22 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty 14/22 Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty 15/22 Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty 16/22 Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty 17/22 Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intends to make gun control central to his campaign Getty 18/22 Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house Getty 19/22 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty 20/22 Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid centres around climate change AFP/Getty 21/22 John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado is running on a sensible ticket. He aims to sell himself as an effective leader who is open to compromise and evidences this with his experience as governor Getty 22/22 Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan will be running a campaign that hinges on his working class roots Getty 1/22 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has announced that he will be running again in 2020 after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He intends to run on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty 2/22 Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well EPA 3/22 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. Reuters 4/22 Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but has struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty 5/22 Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty 6/22 Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He intends to run on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP 7/22 Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters 8/22 Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority Getty 9/22 Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News 10/22 Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty 11/22 Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty 12/22 John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP 13/22 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty 14/22 Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty 15/22 Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty 16/22 Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty 17/22 Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intends to make gun control central to his campaign Getty 18/22 Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house Getty 19/22 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty 20/22 Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid centres around climate change AFP/Getty 21/22 John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado is running on a sensible ticket. He aims to sell himself as an effective leader who is open to compromise and evidences this with his experience as governor Getty 22/22 Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan will be running a campaign that hinges on his working class roots Getty

I was glad, however, that she confirmed what I'd asked -- that President Trump was suggesting that these freshmen congresswomen, each a woman of color with a history-making story, could return to the countries associated with their racial or ethnic makeup if they did not agree with his policies.

After the "gaggle" with Kellyanne Conway ended, I walked back to the briefing room seat where I'd set up my laptop and got back to work, occasionally pausing to speak with a colleague who would give me an attaboy for not backing down to her.

I've had a lot of practice. The sort of deflections and diversions Conway and other Trump spokespeople excel at — including the President himself — are a daily occurrence for any reporter who passes through the gates at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue these days.

With over four months having passed since then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders last took to her lectern, and eight months gone since President Trump's last East Room press conference, opportunities to question administration officials are often limited.

Because most Trump White House aides mostly limit their media appearances to the friendly confines of Fox News (or occasionally the more sycophantic One America News Network), the only way the mainstream press can put a question in a given official's ear is to gather in the White House's driveway to intercept him or her on the way back into the West Wing after a Fox "hit."

Some Trump aides are cordial without being combative, but more than a few White House reporters have tangled with Kellyanne Conway, who has long appeared to relish her role as the most zealous of President Trump's television gladiators.

But whereas Conway — who famously coined the phrase "alternative facts" to describe Sean Spicer's outright lies concerning President Trump's inauguration crowds — has often been able to pivot away from questions about Trump's actions by invoking comparatively questionable behaviour (sometimes real, sometimes not) by Democrats, she stumbled when made to defend his tweets about the Democrats' so-called "squad."

Those tweets crossed a line into outright racism, and though I believe her when she says she meant no offence, Conway’s attempt to deflect from them by enquiring as to my ethnicity marked an equally grave turning point.

As the 2020 election draws nearer, and the Trump team doubles and triples down on trying to make a few women of colour who are House freshmen into the unpalatably extreme "face" of the Democratic party, it's likely that his defenders will again be asked to defend the indefensible in the name of protecting the President from defeat.

I can only hope that as those same defenders become more and more frustrated with what could be an increasingly difficult task, they will not take it out on reporters like me, who are just doing our jobs.