Kaitlan Collins, a CNN White House correspondent, made waves in the media Monday after claiming she’d been banned from an official White House event in the Rose Garden simply for asking President Trump questions he didn’t like during a previous press event in the Oval Office.
There's just one glaring problem -- it wasn't true.
CNN said Collins had asked the president during a press event earlier in the day whether he was worried about his former attorney Michael Cohen talking to prosecutors, claiming the inquiry prompted the White House to boot her from the afternoon event. The network immediately issued a statement condemning the Trump administration for targeting their journalist because she’d asked a question that made them “uncomfortable.”
Statement regarding CNN press access at today’s White House event. We demand better. pic.twitter.com/s4lSTcHVak
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) July 25, 2018
CNN said Collins had asked the president during a press event earlier in the day whether he was worried about his former attorney Michael Cohen talking to prosecutors, claiming the inquiry prompted the White House to boot her from the afternoon event.
Shortly after that, the White House Correspondent's Association – the same ones who had no problem hiring a radical left-wing comedienne to hurl insults at Sarah Huckabee Sanders all night – blasted out their own statement slamming the White House’s “misguided and inappropriate decision,” to ban a journalist “after she asked questions they did not like,” calling it “inappropriate, wrong-headed and weak.”
Statement from White House Correspondent’s Association @whca on today’s @WhiteHouse exclusion of a TV correspondent from a Pool event pic.twitter.com/IOlKIIf883
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) July 25, 2018
The media ran wild with the story, with headlines making their way from the Washington Post all the way to the BBC.
But according to the White House, Collins’ account is simply not true. It turns out she wasn’t booted for making the administration “uncomfortable,” but rather because she was being an obstinate snot who wouldn’t leave the Oval Office after being asked multiple times.
“At the conclusion of a press event in the Oval Office a reporter shouted questions and refused to leave despite repeatedly being asked to do so,” Press Secretary Sanders said in a statement. “Subsequently, our staff informed her she was not welcome to participate in the next event, but made clear that any other journalist from her network could attend."
Collins herself admitted CNN as a whole wasn’t banned from the event, claiming she was told, “We're not banning your network. Your photographers can still come. Your producers can still come. But you are not invited to the Rose Garden today."
To be honest, it's a wonder it took the White House this long to finally boot a CNN reporter for being a stubborn jerk who won't stop screaming at the president (Jim Acosta, anyone?). But that’s what you get when you’re an obnoxious twit who refuses to leave the Oval Office – you don’t get invited back for any more tea parties.
Deal with it.