CNN’s Jim Acosta said “the fix is in” after President Donald Trump only called on conservative news organizations during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
CNN reporter @Acosta after Trump calls on only right-wing outlets for the third straight press conference: "The fix is in" pic.twitter.com/FPtaGEIenC
— John Whitehouse+ (@existentialfish) February 15, 2017
And the problems weren’t limited to the Netanyahu news conference, Acosta said.
“In the last three news conferences, all of the questions to the America news media have been handled by conservative press,” Acosta said. “The fix it in.”
The CNN reporter wanted to ask the president about a Tuesday night report by The New York Times that members of his campaign team and their associates had repeated contact with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the presidential election.
Acosta said that the White House and Trump do “not want to answer questions about his associates, his aide’s contacts with the Russians” during the presidential campaign.
“They may think this is being cute or strategic in terms of trying to shield the president from questions, but those questions can only be shielded for so long,” Acosta said.
Over the past three news conferences, Trump has called on The New York Post, Fox Business, Sinclair Broadcasting-owned WJLA, The Daily Caller, Christian Broadcasting News and Townhall.com, according to Talking Points Memo.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump expressed outrage at the media in a series of tweets, bashing CNN and MSNBC while praising Fox News’ morning show “Fox & Friends.”
Acosta and Trump have had an interesting relationship, to say the least. Last month, Acosta attempted to ask a question during Trump’s first news conference since winning the election. Trump refused and eventually pointed at the CNN reporter saying, “You’re fake news.”