CNN's Zeleny after Biden presser: I have never seen a president 'so protected by his aides' from our questions

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Media top headlines June 16

CNN’s Andrew McCabe getting slammed for claiming FBI still doesn’t know motive behind 2017 shooting of GOP lawmakers, Associated Press announcing they will no longer release mugshots, suspect names in minor crime stories, and Charles Barkley criticizing TNT bosses over cancel culture round out today’s top media headlines.

CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny spoke candidly about how protective President Biden's staff is when it comes to him taking questions from reporters. 

Following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden held a solo press conference where he, again, had a prepared list of reporters to call on, though he did taking impromptu questions from reporters who weren't on the list like Fox News' Peter Doocy and CNN's Kaitlan Collins. 

Biden even had a combative exchange with Collins, suggesting she was "in the wrong business" following her question about why he was confident that Putin will "change his behavior." He later offered an apology while speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force Once. 

JEN PSAKI ADMITS BIDEN TAKING IMPROMPTU REPORTER QUESTIONS IS ‘NOT SOMETHING WE RECOMMEND’

During CNN's coverage of the summit, Zeleny called it "Classic Joe Biden" for him to snap at his colleague's "perfectly legitimate question."

"What we have not seen him do is answer questions like that without his aides screaming at him to stop. I have never seen a president, covering the last four of them, who is so protected by his aides in terms of not wanting him to answer some questions. They were silent today because he had a job to do. He recognized that." 

Last month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki admitted that her team advises Biden not to take questions from reporters. 

"That is not something we recommend. In fact, a lot of times we say ‘don’t take questions,'" Psaki told David Axelrod during an interview. "But he's going to do what he wants to do because he's the president of the United States." 

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Biden refrained from holding his first formal press conference for over 60 days when he first took office. His team continued the practice of giving him a list of pre-selected reporters to call on after doing so during the 2020 campaign and the transition to the White House.