Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday got into a testy exchange with CNN's Jim Acosta during a press briefing.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday got into a testy exchange with CNN's Jim Acosta over the current administration's support of the free press.
When Acosta asked if the Trump administration sees itself as "a champion of a free press," Sanders said, "we support a free press but we also support a fair press. And I think that those things should go hand in hand, and there's a certain responsibility by the press to report accurate information."
Acosta responded with questioning President Trump's responsibility in setting the tone for the relationship between the White House and the media.
Without addressing his point, Sanders goes on to assert that she often takes his 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."
Sanders and Acosta have gotten into heated exchanges in the past as well.
The Wednesday one was triggered after another reporter cited a drop for the U.S. from the 43rd to the 45th place on the 2018 World Press Freedom Index.
"In 2017, the 45th President of the United States helped sink the country to 45th place by labeling the press an 'enemy of the American people' in a series of verbal attacks toward journalists, attempts to block White House access to multiple media outlets, routine use of the term 'fake news' in retaliation for critical reporting, and calling for media outlets' broadcasting licenses to be revoked," a Reporters Without Borders news release noted about the ranking.
When asked about her reaction, Sanders dismissed the suggestion that Trump is responsible for that drop, saying, "I think we're one of the most accessible administrations that we've seen in decades."
