Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the astonishing claim that the White House supports a free press in remarks regarding the mob attack on CNN reporter Jim Acosta on Wednesday. Don Lemon wasn't having it.
When asked about the attacks on Acosta, Sanders deflected and used a debunked 1998 story to support the false White House argument that CNN is biased and needs to be more responsible. Said Sanders: “The media routinely reports on classified information and government secrets that put lives in danger and risks valuable national security tools. One of the worst cases was the reporting on the U.S. ability to listen to Osama Bin Laden's satellite phone in the late '90s. Because of that reporting, he stopped using that phone and the country lost valuable intelligence.”
Said Lemon: “That story is just not true. It was debunked years ago…It is quite a stretch to go back two decades to a debunked story to try to defend the behavior we all saw last night. Are you supporting a free press if you spread falsehoods — excuse me — if you spread lies from the podium? And does the president support a free press if he also supports the people who try to stop journalists from doing their jobs? The president retweeted a video of his fans booing Acosta at his rally Tuesday night sharing an instance of open hostility to the media.”
Lemon was then joined by journalist April Ryan to discuss the developments.
