November 8, 2018

On Wednesday, the White House suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he & U.S. President Donald Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference.

They began sparring after Mr. Acosta asked Mr. Trump about the caravan of migrants heading from Latin America to the southern U.S. border.

When Mr. Acosta tried to follow up with another question, Mr. Trump said, “That’s enough!” & a female White House aide unsuccessfully tried to grab the microphone from Mr. Acosta.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement accusing Mr. Acosta of “placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern,” calling it “absolutely unacceptable.”

The interaction between Mr. Acosta & the intern was brief, & Mr. Acosta appeared to brush her arm as she reached for the microphone & he tried to hold onto it. “Pardon me, Ma’am,” he told her.

Mr.Acosta tweeted that Ms. Sanders’ statement that he put his hands on the aide was “a lie.”

CNN said in a statement that the White House revoked Mr. Acosta’s press pass out of “retaliation for his challenging questions” on Wednesday, & the network accused Ms. Sanders of lying about Mr. Acosta’s actions.

"The country deserves better"

“(Sanders) provided fraudulent accusations & cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy & the country deserves better,” CNN said. “Jim Acosta has our full support.”

CNN said that Mr. Trump’s attacks on the press have gone too far.

“They aren't only dangerous, they're disturbingly un-American,” CNN tweeted after the exchange. “While President Trump has made it clear he doesn't respect a free press, he has a sworn obligation to protect it. A free press is vital to democracy & we stand behind Jim Acosta & his fellow journalists everywhere.”

In announcing Mr. Acosta’s suspension, Ms. Sanders said, “The fact that CNN is proud of the way their employee behaved isn't only disgusting, it's an example of their outrageous disregard for everyone, including young women, who work in this administration.”

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