CNN’s Jim Acosta: Spicer Threatened to Toss Me From Trump Presser Following ‘Fake News’ Confrontation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7SO38jlrb0
by Justin Baragona
www.mediaite.com
Following a highly contentious exchange with President-elect Donald Trump at his first press conference since late July, CNN’s Jim Acosta gave a rundown of his confrontation with Trump.
The CNN reporter was called “fake news” by the incoming POTUS in relation to a report CNN released yesterday stating Trump was presented with a two-page synopsis by the intelligence chiefs showing claims Russia tried to compromise him. Trump also refused to take a question from Acosta.
Minutes after the presser ended, Acosta spoke to CNN host Wolf Blitzer, explaining that he felt it was “only fair that if our news organization is going to be attacked that we get a chance to ask a follow-up question.”
Acosta also noted that incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer threatened to toss him from the press conference if he interrupted again.
“After I asked and I guess demanded that we have a question,” Acosta said. “Sean Spicer, the incoming press secretary did say to me that if I were to do that again, I was going to be thrown out of this press conference.”
Acosta further commented that a lot of policy questions did not get asked at the presser due to the “need to go back and forth with Trump” on the Russia questions.
Watch the clip above, via CNN.
UPDATE 1:50 PM ET: CNN released a statement shortly after the Trump press conference highlighting that its reporting was “vastly different” than Buzzfeed’s decision to publish the dossier and the “Trump team knows this.”
UPDATE 2:05 PM ET: Buzzfeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith reacted to CNN’s statement, saying that he wasn’t going to “divide media against each other.”
[image via screengrab]