Quote of the Day:
“I have had reporters say a lot of things about me. They said I should be choked. I should deserve a lifetime of harassment. I certainly never had anybody say I should be decapitated. …I think it just once again proves why this journalist isn’t taken seriously.”
— White House Press Sec. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on American Urban Radio‘s White House correspondent April Ryan saying Sanders should have her head lopped off and be fired. She made the above remarks during an appearance on Fox & Friends Monday.
THEY’RE BANNED! MSNBC’s Morning Joe husband and wife team, Joe and Mika Scarborough, has announced they are banning Sanders from the show, along with President Trump‘s counselor Kellyanne Conway and lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Here.
Backgrounder … Easter weekend bickering
“Will you get into heaven? The answer is no!” — April Ryan tweeted Friday to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who wrote, “Will the #whca revoke April Ryan’s credentials? If not, they are gutless tools. CNN’s April Ryan Says Sarah Sanders‘ Head Should Be ‘Lopped Off.'” (RELATED: WH Journo April Ryan Plays Victim in Sarah Sanders Flap)
What started it all … The Mueller report revealed that Sanders had lied to the press when she said “countless” FBI officials took issue with former FBI Director James Comey. Sanders called it “a slip of the tongue.”
On CNN Thursday, Ryan said, “She outright lied, and the people — the American people — can’t trust her. They can’t trust what’s said from the president’s mouthpiece, spokesperson, from the People’s House. When there is a lack of credibility there, you have to start and start lopping the heads off. It’s ‘Fire Me Thursday’ or ‘Fire Me Good Friday.’ she needs to go.” (RELATED: April Ryan Stalks Sean Spicer With A Camera)
WaPo‘s Dave Weigel defends April Ryan’s honor
“The quote is ‘She should be let go. She should be fired. End of story. When there is a lack of credibility there, you have to start lopping the heads off.’ Pretending that Ryan was calling for violence is more incitement than anything she said.” — Dave Weigel, political reporter, The Washington Post.
And Crooked Media‘s EIC Brian Beutler: “Raise your hand if you’re surprised @PressSec hopes to lie her way through a scandal about how she told the special counsel’s office that she lied to reporters and the public.”
New presidential hopeful alert:
“Seth Moulton becomes the 20th Democrat to enter the crowded 2020 presidential race.” — Katie Couric, head of Katie Couric Media.
Mood: “There’s a concept in Hinduism called ‘dharma,’ which means ‘duty.’ Your dharma is to always do *the next right thing*, without attachment to the consequences (karma). When you follow your dharma, good karma naturally flows from it. When you don’t, it doesn’t.” — Asha Rangappa, CNN analyst, former FBI agent.
TMZ nabs Robert Mueller after Sunday church service
While NBC’s Mike Viqueira was attempting to ask special counsel Robert Mueller some serious Washington q’s on Easter Sunday after church, TMZ slid in there with a lighter inquiry on whether he will be taking a vacay since the report is done. Neither approach worked, but TMZ’s was more fun to watch. I know some journalists are angry that anyone from the media approached Mueller after church, but I think most of us — if given the chance — would take the chance no matter where he was. Here.
On Jack Dorsey’s weirdo personal habits…
“Each wellness habit from ice baths, long walks to work, going for long periods without food, may heighten Dorsey’s focus but they are also distancing him from other individuals which can be extremely dangerous,” says Lynne Everatt, co-author of The 5-Minute Recharge. “According to The Study of Adult Development, the longest study of lives that has ever been done, found that good relationships keep us happier and healthier. They are a key component to wellness.” (RELATED: Jack Dorsey Has The Daily Habits of a Psychopath)
Everatt also has expertise in discussing “why you suck at meditating.”
CNN’s Stelter says Trump has broken ‘us’ in half
The CNN host may need help with his math analogies.
“Past administrations have bent the truth, of course, but Trump’s White House breaks the truth in half — and then lies about breaking it. And it’s broken us in half… or maybe into thirds.” — CNN Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter, in his Sunday night newsletter.
In other Stelter news … he’ll be the keynote speaker Thursday at the National Press Club for a Missouri J-School event.
Center for American Progress staffer is in a tizzy about the office brownies
“The worst thing about Passover is not being able to partake in free office food, which is almost always chametz. Already today there are brownies, Oreos, and cake and I can’t have ANY of them.” — Jeremy Venook, research analyst, Center for American Progress.
Reporter’s insomnia has returned ‘with a vengeance’
“Guys I don’t actually need all the usual advice. Appreciated, but I’ve tried it all. This insomnia isn’t new. I’ve had it since I was little. It’s been a huge problem for as long as I can remember. It was (mostly) under control for about 10 months, but back with a vengeance.” — Cassandra Fairbanks, The Gateway Pundit.
WH’s Dan Scavino Got A LOT of grief for this weekend tweet
“I am with the President at the Southern White House, I have never seen him happier!” — Dan Scavino, Trump’s White House Director of Social Media, on Saturday around dinnertime.
WaPo food writer says TrumpLand is guilty as &$#@
“These guys are as guilty as shit pardon my French. Lies and cover-ups and we are letting them get away with it.” — Jamie Schler, anti-Trump food writer, The Washington Post.
David Corn says report puts Trump’s lies on display
“The report shows @realDonaldTrump lied repeatedly and deceived the voters about his interactions with Russia. Congrats.” — David Corn, Washington Bureau Chief, Mother Jones.
Bill O’Reilly gongs CNN Mueller coverage
“CNN has eight anti-Trump panelists on the air, no one with an opposing point of view.” — Bill O’Reilly, ex-Fox Newser.
NYT journo says reporters have been exonerated by Mueller’s report
“Again and again and again and again, Mueller report is confirming the accuracy (in great detail) of stories by The NYT and WashPost, as reporters helped inform the public of the events related to the investigation in real time.” — Eric Lipton, investigative reporter, NYT. “Also documenting repeatedly how Trump attempted to mislead the public, after stories came out with conclusions he did not like.”
TPM‘s Josh Marshall rained on his parade, writing, “True. Lots of great reporting by both papers, virtually all vindicated. The report doesn’t do your write up of the Barr Letter any favors though.”
Journo assesses his own Twitter reputation
“A lot of things that happen are complicated and hard to decipher but I definitely do think that it’s important to say clearly and loudly that many people on social media are insufficiently fond of me.” — Ben Dreyfuss, editorial director, Mother Jones.
Speaking of Dreyfuss… who announced that his nose was broken in the eighth grade, he will taking control of Mother Jones‘ Twitter feed starting Monday so a few people can go on vacation. Something allegedly special will happen at 2 p.m. — a Q & A of the brand. This should be good…or totally out of control. Let’s hope it’s the latter.
Confessional.
“Almost 4 years have passed and I can still remember every detail of how my mom’s hand felt as I held it and i cannot translate that into words and I miss her so much. I used to make fun of her for having the tiniest hands. I used to use my (normal sized) hands around them and cover them completely. On her last day I remember her hands being cold and that’s when I knew she was gone, cause her hands were never cold.” — Oliver Willis, senior reporter, ShareBlue.
Gossip Roundup
Guess who Ben Affleck… is backing for prez in 2020. For that matter, Anna Wintour, Susan Serandon, Jon Hamm, Jon Bon Jovi, Rosario Dawson (you know who she’s supporting) and Danny DeVito. Here.
Flight attendants everywhere… are sighing with relief. Here.
WaPo‘s Carlos Lozada reviews the Mueller Report. “The Mueller report is not beautifully written,” he writes. “These are lawyers, not stylists, and the book’s power rests not in its prose but in its overwhelming authority. Yet even that authority has limits, as does the document’s scope.” Here.
Ex-Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) caught on video playing tonsil hockey with another dude at Coachella. While in Congress, Schock refused to discuss his sexuality. Here. Metro Weekly, a gay pub in D.C., went even deeper into the matter. Here. Schock left Congress in 2015 under a cloud of disgrace when he was charged with using campaign funds for personal uses, which included posh travel and blazing good times. The former lawmaker pleaded not guilty and was ultimately charged with a misdemeanor. In 2019, all charges were dropped. But he had to repay all those unpaid taxes. Previously, he made over his office to look like Downton Abbey. No joke — the interior decorating company he used was called Euro Trash. Also…don’t forget when he bared his abs on the cover of Men’s Health in 2011.
Trump congratulates CNN… for an all-year low. Here.
Pardes Seleh returns from Barcelona
“Abt to head back from Spain. being away from DC (& my phone) for a couple days has made me realize a few things:-I just wanna make ppl happy -I could do much better than this -Outrage culture makes me nervous -All political parties r the same shit -Should I learn to pickpocket?” — Pardes Seleh, writer, Mediaite, former scriptwriter, Fox News.
Tomi Laren tells Mitt Romney to get over himself
“It’s sad the great state of Utah is being represented by a man who puts his own superiority complex and envy for @realDonaldTrump above his constituents. Get over yourself, Mitt.” — Tomi Lahren, Fox News. This is the woman who once required butt warmers while working at TheBlaze.