CNN’s Jim Acosta Denied Entrance to the White House, Press Access Revoked

President Donald Trump called the CNN correspondent “a terrible person” at a press conference Wednesday

Jim Acosta
Shannon Finney/Getty Images

CNN correspondent Jim Acosta was denied entry to the White House on Wednesday following a heated exchange with President Trump at a press conference.

“I’ve just been denied entrance to the WH,” Acosta wrote on Twitter. “Secret Service just informed me I cannot enter the WH grounds for my 8pm hit.”

In a statement issued in a series of tweets shortly after Acosta’s initial message, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders explained that Acosta’s “hard pass” credential had been revoked. Sanders called Acosta’s behavior at the press conference “unacceptable,” accusing him of “placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern.”

She was referring to Acosta trying to fend off a female White House aide who tried to take away his microphone at Wednesday’s post-midterms press conference.

“This is a lie,” Acosta wrote in response.

In its own statement, CNN accused Sanders of making “fraudulent accusations” and called the White House’s move to revoke Acosta’s credentials “a threat to our democracy.”

The conflict between Trump and Acosta arose when Acosta questioned Trump about the so-called migrant caravan at Wednesday’s press conference, challenging the president’s assertion that it is “an invasion” of the United States.

The president tried to cut off Acosta’s line of questioning, but Acosta continued to press him as a White House aide reached to take the microphone away. Trump then chided Acosta, calling him “a rude, terrible person.”

“CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them,” Trump said. “The way you treat Sarah Huckabee is horrible. The way you treat other people are horrible. You shouldn’t treat people that way.”

Watch video of the full exchange below. Acosta’s contact with aide occurs at the 1:30 mark.

Following the incident, CNN issued a statement in defense of Acosta.

“This president’s ongoing attacks on the press have gone too far. They are not only dangerous, they are disturbingly un-American,” the network said in a statement.

“While President Trump has made it clear he does not respect a free press, he has a sworn obligation to protect it. A free press is vital to democracy, and we stand behind Jim Acosta and his fellow journalists everywhere.”

Reid Nakamura

TV reporter • reid.nakamura@thewrap.com • Twitter: @reidnakamura

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