INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Trump snapped at CNN's Jim Acosta after question on Central American migrant caravanThe White House suspended the press credentials of CNN
reporter Jim Acosta on Wednesday, hours after Acosta tangled with President Donald Trump during a televised news conference.The move to
punish Acosta by removing his access to the White House is believed to be unprecedented
The Trump administration barred another CNN reporter from attending an open media event in July but until now has not gone as far as
removing a credential, known as a "hard pass," which enables journalists to enter the White House grounds.Press secretary Sarah Sanders
cited Acosta's brief confrontation with a White House press aide during Trump's new conference as the reason for suspending his press pass
"until further notice."During the 90-minute news conference, Trump snapped at Acosta after he asked why the president had called the Central
American migrant caravan "an invasion" and "demonized immigrants." Following a lengthy and tense verbal back-and-forth, in which Trump at
one point started to stray from his lectern and he called Acosta "a rude, terrible person," a female White House intern tried to take the
microphone from Acosta.Acosta held onto it, and raised his arm to stop the aide from taking it, in the process making contact with her.In a
statement announcing the disciplinary measure Wednesday evening, Sanders said, "President Trump believes in a free press and expects and
welcomes tough questions of him and his administration
We will, however, never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern
This conduct is absolutely unacceptable
It is also completely disrespectful to the reporter's colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question."She added, "President
Trump has given the press more access than any President in history
Contrary to CNN's assertions, there is no greater demonstration of the President's support for a free press than the event he held today
Only they would attack the President for not being supportive of a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different
reporters over the course of an hour and a half - including several from the reporter in question."On Twitter, Acosta responded to Sanders'
statement with a simple declaration, tweeting: "This is a lie."In a statement Wednesday night, CNN said that Sanders "provided fraudulent
accusations and cited an incident that never happened
This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better
Jim Acosta has our full support."Acosta has frequently clashed with Sanders during the White House's irregular news briefings and with Trump
in televised news conferences
Trump has repeatedly called him "fake news," turning him into a symbol of the president's general animus toward the news media.Acosta has
been one of the most outspoken reporters covering the administration since Trump took office
The White House has accused him of provoking confrontations, and he, in turn, has become a favorite target of insults lobbed by Trump's
supporters, particularly during the president's raucous rallies
"I think I'm just covering a story, honestly," Acosta said in a 2017 interview with The Washington Post about his reporting style
"When the president of the United States calls the press 'fake news' and 'the enemy of the American people,' I think that's when you have to
get tough and ask the hard questions."Appearing on CNN on Wednesday evening, Acosta told host Anderson Cooper: " I was just trying to ask a
question of the president
It was obviously a question he didn't like
All I can say at that point is that I was trying to do my job." He added, "I didn't put my hands on her or touch her, as the White House is
I do think, Anderson, that this is a test for all of us
I think they're trying to shut us down
I think they're trying to send a message to my colleagues."Acosta said he learned that his access was withdrawn from a text message on his
When he went to the White House for "one last live shot," he said a security officer prevented him from passing through an entrance that he
