CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins was banned from a White House event after asking a series of questions to President Trump that the White House considered as ‘inappropriate’ on Wednesday.
NPR reports that Collins was the pool reporter for the White House and was representing five television networks. During the open-press event, President Trump appeared to ignore all of Collins’s questions, while appearing to look in another direction.
According to Collins, press secretary Sarah Sanders and deputy chief staff for communications Bill Shine called her into Shine’s office and told her hat she was not invited to an open press event later that day.
During an interview with CNN, Collins said she believes she wasn’t invited to the open-press event because the Trump administration thought the questions she asked the president were “inappropriate and inappropriate for that venue.”
Despite claiming the White House supports a free press, Sanders said in a statement that Collins was asked to leave because she was shouting questions at the president.
“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,” Sanders said.
“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,” Sanders added.
Kaitlan Collins during White House open-press event
In the video, Collins asks a series of questions directed at President Trump at the conclusion of the event and it appears that the president ignores Collins during the event.
Fellow journalists took to Twitter to express their thoughts about what took place during the White House open-press event, many of whom sided with Collins and commended her for asking strong questions.
“If the White House banned a fellow reporter from an open-press event because of her shouted questions, let’s be clear: it is inexcusable, unacceptable, and sets an extremely dangerous precedent, NBC News and MSNBC Chief White House Correspondent Hallie Jackson wrote on Twitter. “We shout questions at the president regularly. It’s called: doing our job,” she added.
If the White House banned a fellow reporter from an open-press event because of her shouted questions, let’s be clear: it is inexcusable, unacceptable, and sets an extremely dangerous precedent.
We shout questions at the president regularly. It’s called: doing our job. https://t.co/rrZiiLMjkg
— Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) July 25, 2018
Kaitlan Collins in 2017 when she was a journalist and White House Correspondent for The Daily Caller. Credit: Getty Images
What did CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins ask President Trump?
At the conclusion of the press event, Collins asked the following questions and was ignored by the president.
“Did Michael Cohen betray you, Mr. President?”
“Mr. President, are you worried about what Michael Cohen is about to say to the prosecutors?”
“Are you worried about what is on the other tapes, Mr. President?”
“Why is Vladimir Putin not accepting your invitation, Mr. President?”
The White House Correspondents Association President Oliver Knox criticized the Trump Administration for banning Collins from the White House open-press event and condemned the White House’s “misguided and inappropriate “ decision.
“This type of retaliation is wholly inappropriate, wrong-headed, and weak. It cannot stand,” he wrote in a statement. “Reporters asking questions of powerful government officials, up to and including the President, helps hold those people accountable,” he added.
NPR reports that CNN bureau chiefs in Washington, D.C. have plans to file formal complaints with Bill Shine and other White House staffers for banning Collins.
