So now CNN has a problem with anonymous sourcing? Showing no bounds when it comes to the network's hypocrisy, Jim Acosta on Monday accused the Trump White House of lacking “guts” by not naming names when it comes to any disagreements with Doctor Anthony Fauci.
At a press briefing, Acosta huffed, “Why is the White House trashing Dr. Fauci and sending out opposition research-like memos to reporters? The President has gone off on anonymous sources in the past. Why not have the guts to trash Dr. Fauci with your own names?”
McEnany replied, “We were asked to very specific question by The Washington Post, and President Trump noted that Dr. Fauci made some mistakes and we provided a direct answer to what was a direct question.”
So Acosta grandstanded:
Has the President made mistakes? He suggested at one point that Americans inject themselves with disinfectants. That sort of thing. Why not send out these notes to reporters about what Dr. Fauci said in the past with your names on them? It was sent out by a White House official. The President said he doesn't trust anonymous sources, and yet you were sending out these notes to reporters anonymously.
In October of 2019, CNN’s Brian Stelter was positively giddy over the prospect of an entire book being written anonymously about the Trump White House. On October 25, 2019, he cheered:
Now this anonymous author goes on to say the following about their own experiences working with the president, “Hopefully others will remedy the error of silence and choose to speak out. In these pages, in this book, you will not just hear from me, you will hear a great deal from for Donald Trump directly, for there is no better witness to his character than his own words and no better evidence of the danger he poses than his own conduct.”
…
That's a pretty clear hint about who this person is, that this person was in the room, maybe still in the room with the President. It's notable that the publisher is not saying if this person's still working for the White House or not. I know some people are saying he's a coward, he or she is a coward by staying anonymous. I think what's most important is what's actually in the book.
On other occasions, the network doesn’t even seem to care that their anonymous sources turn out to be shoddy. But Acosta? He demands that White House staffers put their names on everything…. when they are defending the President, that is.
A transcript of the exchange is below. Click "expand" to read more.
White House Briefing
7/13/2020
1:29
KAYLEIGH MCENANY: Jim, I haven’t seen you in a few weeks.
JIM ACOSTA: Yeah.
MCENANY: Glad you’re back.
ACOSTA: Thanks. Kayleigh, why is the White House trashing Dr. Fauci and sending out opposition research-like memos to reporters? The President has gone off on anonymous sources in the past. Why not have the guts to trash Dr. Fauci with your own names?
MCENANY: So, President Trump --- I will refer you back, there is no opposition research being dumped to reporters. We were asked to very specific question by The Washington Post, and President Trump noted that Dr. Fauci made some mistakes and we provided a direct answer to what was a direct question.
ACOSTA: Has the President made mistakes? He suggested at one point that Americans inject themselves with disinfectants. That sort of thing. Why not send out these notes to reporters about what Dr. Fauci said in the past with your names on them? It was sent out by a White House official. The President said he doesn't trust anonymous sources, and yet you were sending out these notes to reporters anonymously.
MCENANY: Look, I would note that, in terms of the President and his record on coronavirus, he stands by the actions and the steps he has taken in this historic response. You have Dr. Fauci, who said that the record of this president is “impressive.” “I can't imagine that under any circumstance anybody could be doing more.” Those of the words of Dr. Fauci. We provided a direct response to a direct question, and that's about it. To the notion that there is opposition research and that there is Dr. Fauci vs. the President could be further from the truth. Dr. Fauci and the President have always had a good working relationship.
