Vice President Mike Pence has reportedly barred the nation’s top health officials from appearing on CNN, until the network resumes airing President Donald Trump’s White House coronavirus briefings in their entirety.
“When you guys cover the briefings with the health officials then you can expect them back on your air,” a representative for Pence told the network.
CNN reports: Pence’s office, which is responsible for booking the officials on networks during the pandemic, said it will only allow experts such as Dr. Deborah Birx or Dr. Anthony Fauci to appear on CNN if the network televises the portion of the White House briefings that includes the vice president and other coronavirus task force members. CNN often only broadcasts President Donald Trump’s question and answer session, which sometimes includes the health care officials, live on-air. After Trump leaves the podium, CNN frequently cuts out of the White House briefing to discuss and fact-check what the President had said. A CNN executive said that the network usually returns to such programming because of the extensive length of the full briefing that includes Pence, which can run in excess of two hours.
More from Business Insider: CNN is one of several networks that often cut away from the briefings to fact-check the president’s statements and don’t always air the full events, which can last a few hours. Trump regularly makes false or misleading claims about the pandemic in the briefing room. … Many critics have argued that the daily events often bear more resemblance to campaign rallies than informational briefings. Trump has invited some top donors in the business world, who are helping produce essential medical supplies, to promote their companies and praise him. Last week, My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell celebrated the president, saying, “God gave us grace on November 8, 2016, to change the course we were on.”
