CNN reporter shames White House over lack of press briefings: ‘Lectern… literally gathering dust’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Press Secretary Sarah Sanders hasn’t used the briefing room podium since March 11. (Reuters)
CNN reporter Maegan Vazquez celebrated that the White House had cleaned the dust from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room podium after she pointed it out on Twitter – but she’s still not happy about infrequent briefings.
“The White House hasn’t held press briefing in so long that the lectern in the briefing room is quite literally gathering dust,” Vazquez tweeted on Wednesday with a photo of the briefing room podium.
The photo revealed a tiny layer of dust but Vazquez noticed it was removed by Friday, so the CNN reporter updated her followers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN’S DON LEMON DOESN’T LET ‘ANCHOR’ TITLE GET IN THE WAY OF HIS ON-AIR OPINIONS
“There still isn’t a White House press briefing scheduled. But today, some of our press corps colleagues noticed someone came in and dusted the lectern in the briefing room,” Vazquez wrote on Friday. “Our sinuses may be spared, but we still have questions we’d like the WH to answer.”
The White House did not immediately respond when asked if it was cleaned because of Vazquez’s tweet.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sanders last conducted an official briefing on March 11, when she was asked about the lack of access by CNN’s April Ryan.
“I know the president is the most accessible president in modern history,” she said. “He takes questions from you guys nearly every single day.”
RATINGS-CHALLENGED CNN SHEDS STAFF AS NETWORK MOVES INTO LAVISH NEW DIGS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Earlier this year Trump took to Twitter, saying Sanders doesn’t conduct regular briefings because “certain members of the press” are rude.
“The reason Sarah Sanders does not go to the ‘podium’ much anymore is that the press covers her so rudely & inaccurately, in particular certain members of the press,” Trump tweeted. “I told her not to bother, the word gets out anyway! Most will never cover us fairly & hence, the term, Fake News!”
Last year, CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta was briefly banned from the White House after he engaged in a contentious back-and-forth with Trump during a Nov. 7 press conference. During the now-infamous moment, Acosta refused to pass the microphone to a female White House aide.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Acosta’s press pass was restored on Nov. 19 after CNN argued that keeping him out of the White House violated the network and Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights. To coincide with Acosta being allowed to return to the White House, Sanders implemented a series of rules to govern White House press conferences going forward.