White House press secretary Sarah Sanders gave CNN’s Jim Acosta a taste of his own medicine after he complained about being taken out of context on Wednesday.
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Acosta whined on Wednesday afternoon that media outlets “twisted” his words from a recent Variety Magazine interview. Acosta said that many “people around the country… don’t have all their faculties and in some cases their elevator might not hit all floors.” (RELATED: Acosta Claims Comments About Americans Were ‘Twisted’)
During Wednesday’s press briefing, Acosta claimed that the president said his pick for VA secretary, Dr. Ronny Jackson, does not have the experience necessary for the position. Sanders referenced Acosta’s earlier tweet in her response, arguing that he was taking the president “out of context.”
“That’s not what the president said. I think you’re taking some of his words out of context,” Sanders asserted. “Based on your tweet today, I know you don’t appreciate when people take your words out of context, so I’d appreciate it if you do not do that to the president.”
Acosta responded by grilling Sanders about the administration’s stance on the free press and she responded with a smackdown about his “tone” and the “responsibility” of the press to report accurate information.
“A number of people in this room… do their best to provide fair and accurate information,” she added. “That’s one of the reasons I’m standing here taking your questions. And a lot of times taking your questions in a tone that’s completely unnecessary, unneeded, and frankly doesn’t help further the conversation or help the American people get any more information in a better way which is your job and my job and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Acosta later addressed Sanders’ comment while talking to CNN, calling it a “personal…cheap shot” and suggesting that Sanders is no better than a “city council spokesperson.”
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“She feels because she comes up to the podium and answers questions that somehow makes them champions of the free press,” Acosta editorialized. “Just about any city council spokesperson or mayor spokesperson or gubernatorial spokesperson does that all over the country.”
