Reporter Barred by White House From Press Briefing Says She Was Told She Was Being ‘Threatening’ When She Asked Why
Fellow White House Reporters Rush to Her Support
POLITICO White House correspondent Tara Palmeri on Friday was one of the reporters barred by the White House from attending a scheduled briefing with Press Secretary Sean Spicer. In a segment on MSNBC Saturday, Palmeri explained that as reporters stood in line to file in to Spicer’s office, she was asked her name by a White House staffer, something that is not usual procedure, and was told she was not on the list.
When she asked why – again, this was not usual procedure, and Palmeri is the White House correspondent for a major news outlet – she says the White House staffer told her she was being threatening.
WATCH: CNN’s Jake Tapper Slams ‘Petulant’ Trump White House for Barring News Outlets
AmericaBlog editor John Aravosis recorded the MSNBC segment and posted it in his story:
White House aide says Politico “threatened†them by simply asking about press ban https://t.co/yR6MHmHEH1 pic.twitter.com/R0RoyZIK4u
— John Aravosis (@aravosis) February 25, 2017
“When I asked, ‘Can I have a statement about why this is happening?'” Palmeri says the staffer told her, “You’re threatening me.”
The White House on Friday, hours after President Trump called the media “dishonest” and “fake news,” barred reporters from The New York Times, The L.A. Times, POLITICO, Buzzfeed, and CNN from the briefing.Â
When Palmeri posted what happened to Twitter, her fellow reporters rushed to support her, confirm her accounting of events, and to say she is hardly threatening:
Have known @tarapalmeri a long time – not so much with the threatening of people.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 25, 2017
@maggieNYT @tarapalmeri I was there — Tara didn’t threaten anybody.
— Adrian Carrasquillo (@Carrasquillo) February 25, 2017
@maggieNYT @tarapalmeri She is a fine young woman, professional in every way. The only threat she poses is being an accurate reporter!
— ron insana (@rinsana) February 25, 2017
@rinsana @maggieNYT @tarapalmeri Nope. Not a threat, not at all. Actually quite nice and professional.
— Tom Fitzgerald (@FitzFox5DC) February 25, 2017
@maggieNYT @tarapalmeri I was there — Tara didn’t threaten anybody.
— Adrian Carrasquillo (@Carrasquillo) February 25, 2017
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