Sarah Huckabee Sandersis under fire for sharing an allegedly doctored video of the heated White House exchange that led to CNN reporter Jim Acosta’spress credentials being revoked.
In her statement, Sanders said: “President Trump believes in a free press and expects and welcomes tough questions of him and his Administration. We will, however, never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern.”
She went on to share the allegedly altered video, which repeatedly shows the moment Acosta and the White House intern came into contact with each other.
Unlike raw footage of the incident, the video contains no audio and replays a slow motion version of the incident.
AsNew York Timesreporter Maggie Habermanpointed out on social media, in the raw footage, Acosta can also be heard saying, “Pardon me, ma’am,” after the contact occurred.
The Infowars editor has sincedenied that the video has been doctored, arguing that, “I merely zoomed in.”
During the press conference on Wednesday, in which Trump spoke on the results of themidterm elections, Acosta asked about the migrantcaravan of nearly 4,000 Central Americans, who are walking through Mexico to seek asylum in the U.S.
Acosta then asked the president if calling the caravan an “invasion” negatively characterized immigrants, to which Trump answered that he wanted them to “come in legally.”
Refusing to give up his microphone, Acosta pressed on, interrogating the president about Special CounselRobert Mueller’s potential indictmentsresulting from his investigation of Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The White House intern eventually moved to take the mic from Aosta as Trump berated him.
“CNN should be ashamed of itself for having you working for them,” Trump said. “You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN.”
Acosta kept his grip on the mic and while gesturing toward the president, brushed against the woman’s arm and said, “Pardon me, ma’am.”
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“Don’t believe the lies coming from the WH. Believe in our freedoms,” Acostawroteon social media, in response to Sanders’ claims.
The reporter also thanked everybody who had spoken out in his defense, writing “we don’t back down.”
CNN said in a statement that the “President’s ongoing attacks on the press have gone too far.”
“They are not only dangerous, they are disturbingly un-American. While President Trump has made it clear he does not respect free press, he has a worn obligation to protect it. A free press is vital to democracy, and we stand behind Jim Acosta and his fellow journalist.”
The White House Correspondents’ Association has also responded to Trump’s treatment of Acosta and the decision to prohibit him from entering the White House.
“The White House Correspondents’ Association strongly objects to the Trump Administration’s decision to use US Secret Service security credentials as a tool to punish a reporter with whom it has a difficult relationship,” WHCA said in a statement given to PEOPLE.
“Revoking access to the White House complex is a reaction out of line to the purported offense and is unacceptable. Journalists may use a range of approaches to carry out their jobs and the WHCA does not police the tone or frequency of the questions its members ask of powerful senior government officials, including the President,” WHCA continued. “Such interactions, however uncomfortable they may appear to be, help define the strength of our national institutions. We urge the White House to immediately reverse this weak and misguided action.”
source: people.com
