Deputy Press Secretary Chewed Out by Reporter: ‘You’re Inflaming Everybody’ (Video)
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who filled in for Sean Spicer during Tuesday’s White House press briefing, was chewed out by White House reporter Brian Karem for “inflaming everybody” over a recent retracted CNN story about ties between the Trump administration and Russia.
As the deputy press secretary went off on CNN and the media for what she called a “constant barrage of fake news directed at this president,” Karem interrupted her for a little light reading of the riot act.
“Come on!” Karem fumed. “You’re inflaming everybody, right here, right now with those words. This administration has done that as well. Why in the name of heavens any one of us are replaceable, and any one of us, if we don’t get it right, the audience has the opportunity to turn the channel, or not read us. You have been elected to serve for four years at least — there’s no option other than that!”
Also Read: Brian J. Karem, Reporter Who Defied Team Trump, Went to Jail to Protect Sources
“We’re here to ask you questions,” Karem went on. “You’re here to provided the answers and what you just did is inflammatory to people all over the country who look at it and say, ‘See, once again, the president is right and everyone else out here is fake media.’ And everybody in this room is just trying to do their job.”
Sanders shot back saying she disagreed “completely.”
“If anything has been inflamed it’s the dishonesty that often takes place by the news media,” she said. “And I think it’s outrageous for you to accuse me of inflaming a story when I was simply trying to answer [another reporter’s] question.”
Sanders was complaining about CNN’s recent retracted story about Trump’s ties to Russia, when she herself encouraged others to take a look at an unverified undercover video released by conspiracy theorists and right wing activists James O’Keefe, in which a CNN producer can be heard criticizing the network’s coverage of President Trump.
Also Read: Three CNN Employees Resign Over Retracted Story on Russia Ties
Huckabee admitted she didn’t know whether the video was real or not, but urged everyone “across the country” to check it out anyway.
“There is a video circulating now, whether it’s accurate or not, I don’t know but I would encourage everybody in this room, and frankly everybody across the country, to take a look at it.” she said. “I think if it is accurate, I think it disgrace to all of media, to all of journalism.”
On Monday, three CNN employees handed in their resignations over a retracted story linking President Trump to Russia.
Also Read: Trump Renews Attack on 'Fake News' CNN After Retracted Russia Story
The article was removed from CNN.com on Friday after the network decided it could no longer stand by its reporting.
“In the aftermath of the retraction of a story published on CNN.com, CNN has accepted the resignation of the employees involved in the story’s publication,” a network spokesperson told TheWrap in a statement.
The story, which only appeared on the network’s site, was quickly disputed on Friday, as one Trump ally Anthony Scaramucci — who was mentioned in the story — pushed back on Frank’s reporting, insisting he “did nothing wrong.”
Also Read: CNN Producer Says Trump-Russia Story 'Mostly Bulls-- Right Now' in Leaked Undercover Video
“Once it was determined that editorial processes were not followed, CNN deleted the story from CNN.com,” the network said Friday on its site. “Soon thereafter, the story was officially retracted and replaced with an editor’s note.”
Watch Karem go off at the 3:29 mark in the video above.
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