After The Associated Press confirmed that a reporter was barred from the Oval Office on Tuesday due to the outlet’s refusal to use the term” Gulf of America, ” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned on Wednesday that the Trump administration would hold the “lies ” of news organizations “accountable.” ”
A CNN journalist and former White House press secretary named Kaitlan Collins asked Leavitt to recognize the official who made the decision to forbid an Associated Press reporter from entering the Oval Office during a press briefing.
In reply, Leavitt said, “Let me really set the record straight. Nobody has the right to enter the Oval Office and ask the president of the United States any concerns, which is a pleasure to support this White House. That’s an offer that is given. ”
According to Lavitt, there are “hundreds of stores” that cover the White House, but many of the stores are not given the “privilege” to ask questions of President Donald Trump.
Executive director Julie Pace wrote in a statement from The Associated Press on Tuesday that executive director Julie Pace wrote:” Today, we were informed by the White House that AP would be prohibited from accessing an occasion in the Oval Office if AP did not align its editor standards with President Donald Trump’s professional get renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. ”
The Associated Press confirmed that an Associated Press writer was prohibited from entering the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon during an executive get filing.
“It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism, ” Pace added in Tuesday ’s statement. The AP speech’s information clearly violates the First Amendment, not merely severely restricts the public’s access to independent media, but also greatly restricts our exposure to the Oval Office. ”
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During the White House press briefing, Collins asked Leavitt if the Trump administration ’s decision to block a reporter from entering the Oval Office due to the outlet using “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America ” was “setting a precedent ” that the White House will “retaliate against reporters” who do not use certain language approved by the administration.
Leavitt responded,” I was quite honest in my lecture on day one that we are going to hold those sits guilty if we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this place.” ”
The press secretary also pointed out that Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum had already authorized the designation of” Gulf of America,” adding,” It is known that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the” Gulf of America,” and I’m not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that. ”
