WATCH: Top CNN Reporter Blasts ‘Useless’ Sean Spicer and ‘Stonewalling’ White House
‘I Don’t Know What World We’re Living In’
CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta Monday afternoon blasted the Trump administration after yet again Press Secretary Sean Spicer refused to hold an on-camera daily press briefing.Â
“I don’t know what world we’re living in,” Acosta, one of CNN’s top and most-visible reporters, who has taken direct fire from President Donald Trump, told his colleague Brooke Baldwin live.Â
Acosta called Sean Spicer “basically useless” after today’s press gaggle, an off-camera event during which reporters were allowed to record audio only and banned from using those recordings for anything except on-background reporting.
“Why are we even having these briefings or these gaggles in the first place?” a clearly frustrated Acosta asked, rhetorically.Â
Baldwin asked Acosta why Spicer is not having conversations with President Trump, about important issues like climate change. Acosta responded he had nothing to share on that, “because of the stonewalling that we’re getting over at the White House.”
Spicer still can’t say whether POTUS believes in climate change
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 19, 2017
In a rare moment of anger Acosta turned from the camera, saying, “That’s the White House, the White House,” stressing the international significance of the building that is supposed to represent Americans and American democracy.
Must watch: @CNN‘s @Acosta says the White House is “stonewalling.” Briefings are “basically pointless at this point” https://t.co/j6PsdqhkGI
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 19, 2017
“It’s bizarre,” Acosta complained, that “they won’t answer these questions on camera.”
“I don’t know why everybody is going along with this,” he added, speaking of his fellow White House journalists. Acosta warned that these events are being allowed to become “a new normal, where the President of the United States is allowed to insulate himself from answering hard questions.”
Acosta noted Trump “hasn’t had full-blown press conference since February.”
It’s also been over a week since Spicer held a full on-camera press briefing.
Acosta also took to Twitter to share his frustration:
WH briefing about to start. We’re told we cannot use video or audio from this “gaggle.” So I took this pic before going in. Shh don’t tell. pic.twitter.com/7GcZjJIriS
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 19, 2017
Make no mistake about what we are all witnessing. This is a WH that is stonewalling the news media. Hiding behind no camera/no audio gaggles
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 19, 2017
Call me old fashioned but I think the White House of the United States of America should have the backbone to answer questions on camera.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 19, 2017
There is a suppression of information going on at this WH that would not be tolerated at a city council mtg or press conf with a state gov.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 19, 2017
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