CNN has released another statement defending network reporter Jim Acosta from criticisms Donald Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, has made since the president-elect’s press conference last week.
Not only did Spicer take to Twitter to demand an apology from Acosta for repeatedly interrupting Trump to ask a question, but he called Acosta’s behavior “inappropriate and disrespectful” while appearing on Fox News’ “MediaBuzz” on Sunday.
“You do not treat the president-elect or any major figure in that way,” Spicer said — but CNN disagrees.
“As we have learned many times, just because Sean Spicer says something doesn’t make it true,” a CNN spokeswoman told TheWrap. “Jim Acosta is a veteran reporter with the utmost integrity and extensive experience in covering both the White House and the President-elect. Being persistent and asking tough questions is his job, and he has our complete support.”
Trump scolded CNN during his first press conference as president-elect, because he doesn’t like the way the network handled coverage of a controversial Russia dossier that was eventually published by BuzzFeed. Acosta attempted to ask a question, but Trump refused to call on him and called CNN “fake news.”
Since the event, Spicer has appeared on a variety of Sunday morning shows and cable news programs to criticize Acosta’s behavior.
CNN released a statement last week responding to Trump’s allegation that CNN is “fake news” during his first press conference as president-elect.
“CNN’s decision to publish carefully sourced reporting about the operations of our government is vastly different than BuzzFeed’s decision to publish unsubstantiated memos,” the network said. “The Trump team knows this. They are using BuzzFeed’s decision to deflect from CNN’s reporting, which has been matched by the other major news organizations.”
“We are fully confident in our reporting,” the statement continued. “It represents the core of what the First Amendment protects, informing the people of the inner workings of their government; in this case, briefing materials prepared for President Obama and President-elect Trump last week. We made it clear that we were not publishing any of the details of the 35-page document because we have not corroborated the report’s allegations. Given that members of the Trump transition team have so vocally criticized our reporting, we encourage them to identify, specifically, what they believe to be inaccurate.”
14 Donald Trump Appointees Who Are Millionaires or Billionaires (Photos)
President-elect Donald Trump is surrounding himself with some very wealthy people. Let's take a look at his wealthy nominees for top posts.
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Wilbur Ross
The investor is Trump’s choice to be commerce secretary. He is worth roughly $2.5 billion, according to Forbes, after earning a fortune restructuring failed companies in industries such as steel, coal, telecommunications, foreign investment and textiles.
Trump chose The Exxon CEO as his secretary of state nominee because of his ability to close deals with foreign leaders. He is estimated to be worth $325 million, according to Forbes.
Trump’s choice to lead the Small Business Administration is worth an estimated $1.35 billion, according to Bloomberg. She made her fortune, along with husband Vince, by turning WWE into a global powerhouse.
The former labor secretary is Trump’s choice for transportation secretary. She is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and is a former Bank of America executive who was worth $16.9 million back in 2008, according to OpenSecrets.org.
Trump’s choice for energy secretary is a former governor of Texas estimated to be worth about $3 million, according to the Associated Press. Perry has close ties to the Texas oil industry and has received large donations from energy industry executives.
Trump’s choice for chief economic policy adviser is currently the chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs and made $20.6 million in 2015 alone, according to Salary.com.
The former Michigan GOP chair and education activist was selected to be education secretary. Her family is worth $5.1 billion, according to Forbes. Betsy’s husband, Dick, is the son of Richard DeVos Sr., the billionaire co-founder of the company Amway.
The senator from Alabama is set to be Attorney General when Trump moves into the White House. Mutual funds, municipal bonds and real estate investments have given him a net worth of $6 million, according to Forbes.
The man nicknamed “Mad Dog” is Trump’s selection for secretary of defense is worth about $5 million, according to Forbes. Besides military pay and a pension, he sat on the board of Theranos and remains a director of defense contractor General Dynamics, for which he was generously paid, according to the International Business Times.
The CEO of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, is worth $45 million, according to Forbes. Trump has selected him to serve as secretary of labor.
Trump's pick for secretary of health and human services is an orthopedic surgeon who dabbles in real estate. He’s worth $10 million, according for Forbes.