Melania's Spokeswoman Calls Out CNN Reporter Trying To Get a Quote
Melania Trump’s spokeswoman had a sharp retort when a CNN White House reporter asked whether the first lady was watching CNN on Air Force One.
CNN’s Kate Bennett tweeted on Wednesday morning that she queried Trump spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham whether the first lady had a comment on an audio recording that aired the previous evening on CNN, in which then-candidate Donald Trump discusses a payment with his personal attorney Michael Cohen allegedly to keep a story about an affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal from being published.
“NEW: I asked @StephGrisham45 whether @FLOTUS had comment on the new Trump/Cohen tape details, and if she indeed was watching @CNN aboard Air Force One, upsetting the president, as @maggieNYT & @katierogers reported last night,” Bennett wrote.
She recounted that Grisham responded, “Did you know that every 15 minutes a baby is born with NAS? Maybe you’d like to talk about the 160,000 kids who skip school every day for fear of being bullied, or that 280,000 students are physically attacked in schools every month.”
The spokeswoman continued, “Seems kind of silly to worry about what channel she watches on TV (any channel she wants btw) or if she heard some recording on the news.”
NEW: I asked @StephGrisham45 whether @FLOTUS had comment on the new Trump/Cohen tape details, and if she indeed was watching @CNN aboard Air Force One, upsetting the president, as @maggieNYT & @katierogers reported last night. Here's the response I got: pic.twitter.com/SJbxbnolMp
— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) July 25, 2018
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Trump was upset with his staff when “fake news” CNN was tuned in on his wife’s television on Air Force One during their trip to Europe earlier this month.
The paper stated it had obtained an internal email exchange between officials in the White House Military Office and the White House Communications Agency sent last Thursday.
The email chain communicated that going forward televisions on board Air Force One would be tuned into Fox News at the beginning of each trip.
Times’ reporters Katie Rogers and Maggie Haberman editorialized in their piece, “The channel-flipping flap was the latest example of how Mr. Trump, at a pivotal moment in his presidency, is increasingly living in a world of selected information and bending the truth to his own narrative.”
“As his aides work to keep him insulated from the outside world, Mr. Trump is doubling down in his efforts to tell supporters to trust him over the words of critics and news reports.”
The first lady traveled to Nashville on Tuesday to visit the children’s hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
#BeBest will continue to bring attention to NAS. A very big thank you to @VUMCchildren & staff for an informative & moving visit. It is a joy spending time w/ such courageous kids & to witness the strength of families who must deal with these tough situations. pic.twitter.com/WuZtjee1EQ
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) July 25, 2018
While there she engaged with patients and attended briefings about children affected by neonatal abstinence syndrome.
The condition is caused by pre-born babies being exposed to opioids in the womb.
"We remain committed to this population – to moms and babies affected by opioids. They are not often seen by the public, but they are seen by us." Closing words by @HHS_ASH after a day of productive dialogue around #NAS and the #opioidcrisis with @FLOTUS @VUMCchildren @VUMChealth pic.twitter.com/hhEY6L3IJN
— Center for Child Health Policy (@VUMCchildpolicy) July 24, 2018
“We remain committed to this population – to moms and babies affected by opioids,” said Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett P. Giroir at the event. “They are not often seen by the public, but they are seen by us.”
CNN has reported heavily on Trump’s alleged sexual encounters with McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels occurring around 2006.
In May, CNN went live to reporter Kaitlan Collins during the White House’s National Day of Prayer event to discuss the latest developments regarding payments received by adult film star Stormy Daniels from Trump’s attorney.
NewsBusters reported in the spring that CNN dedicated an inordinate amount of coverage to the Daniels controversy, including having the porn star’s attorney Michael Avenatti on the network nearly 60 times.
“In less than two months (from March 7 to April 30), Avenatti has been a guest on CNN a total of 59 times — an average of more than once per day,” according to the media watchdog group.
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