White House Bans CNN Reporter From Press Gatherings

Today, the White House communications director, ironically former Fox News executive Bill Shine, banned CNN’s Kaitlan Collins from the press availability with President Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Here is the account given by The Daily Beast:

Collins had been serving as the official “pool reporter” for the White House press corps during an Oval Office photo-op earlier Wednesday when she did her job, and asked the president some questions about the news of the day.

“Did Michael Cohen betray you, Mr. President?” she asked. “Mr. President, are you worried about what Michael Cohen is about to say to the prosecutors? Are you worried about what is on the other tapes, Mr. President?” When Trump declined to answer, she tried, “Why is Vladimir Putin not accepting your invitation, Mr. President?”
…
Collins says he told her she was “disinvited from the press availability in the Rose Garden today” because she had “shouted” questions he and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders deemed “inappropriate.”

She is quite proud of herself, hmmm…

Inevitably, CNN is going to be evicted from the White House press conferences. Jim Acosta is a preening, blow-dried half-wit who has decided that the only thing important about the White House press briefings is that he’s there. Back in mid-June, you’ll recall, President Trump refused to take a question from Acosta during his press availability with Theresa May. He’s serious enough about his dislike of CNN that he doesn’t like it being played on Air Force One.

Host Wolf Blitzer called the decision “shocking” and “unheard of” and said he “would like to see” a formal apology from Shine for the way he “reprimanded” Collins.

Right. Like that’s going to happen.

Booting Collins is simply a warning shot telling CNN they are going a bit over the top playing the role of Resistance TV. If you think they are going to pull back, I’d submit that you’re mistaken.

Once CNN is booted, the rest of the press corps will have a stark choice to make: attend…or stand in solidarity with CNN (network motto: we’re nearly as popular as the Food Network”). If they do, you can bet that the White House won’t back down. Let’s face it, the White House press briefing is an affectation of the founder of the Administrative State, Woodrow Wilson. It isn’t very useful as a way of disseminating information or for much of anything else other than giving some homely, self-important people television exposure.

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