Originally introduced on CNN’s so-called “Reliable Sources” as a reporter who would hold White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s “feet to the political fire,” Yahoo! News White House correspondent Brittany Shepherd ended up giving her a rhetorical foot massage instead. Especially after she falsely claimed that former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s press briefings had “incited” her followers to pursue “deadly ends” for some reporters.
“Coming up, two views from the White House Press Briefing room. Hear from Press Secretary Jen Psaki and one of the reporters holding her feet to the political fire,” host Brian Stelter, CNN’s media janitor touted before the Sunday segment.
Following yet another segment claiming Fox News didn’t live in reality and was peddling misinformation, Shepherd appeared and equated McEnany to an abusive “ex-boyfriend” with Psaki being the “refreshing” new relationship.
From there, she suggested that McEnany “incited” her followers and it had “deadly ends” for some reporters:
And it is refreshing. I do kind of put it towards like having a really bad ex-boyfriend. We were getting essentially abused by Kayleigh McEnany for so long. Or, at least, she was calling us fake news and inciting her followers and followers of the President to not only harass us online, but, obviously, go to deadly ends for some people. With death threats.
At no point, did Stelter step in to correct the record or push back on the suggestion McEnany got reporters or people killed. So much for “facts first.”
Shepherd’s ‘tell,’ to subtly indicate she was a fan of the new press secretary, was the fact that she would only refer to McEnany by her last name or full name. For Psaki, on the other hand, there was a more personal touch. See if you can pick up on it:
SHEPHERD: Now, we have Jen and the entire Biden team. It’s refreshing, but it is important to remember that the bar has literally been left on the floor –
STELTER: Yeah.
SHEPHERD: -- and just being able to show up and clear it isn't enough.
STELTER: No.
Though she had respect for “Jen,” Shepherd urged the necessary point “we should be allowed to ask the questions even if it makes them uncomfortable.”
In late November of 2020, Shepherd was on CNN’s New Day heaping praise onto Biden’s newly-announced communications team as the “adults” to Trump’s bratty kids. “It's critical for the Biden transition team that they are putting adults in the room. That's why you're seeing a lot of Obama-world veterans, both formally and informally in Jen Psaki and others,” she boasted, at the time.
But in the course of their Sunday discussion, Shepherd lamented to Stelter that the communications team was keeping a “tight leash” on President Biden so he wouldn’t make gaffes. “Something Trump did give us was the ability to kind of ask him unvarnished questions,” she said before chiding Trump. “Of course, we would get ridiculous and crazy answers, but we knew what his perspective was at all times.”
Brittany Shepherd’s unchecked false claim was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Nutrisystem and Dove. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the based news they fund on CNN.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Reliable Sources
February 7, 2021
11:22:16 a.m. EasternBRIAN STELTER: Coming up, two views from the White House Press Briefing room. Hear from Press Secretary Jen Psaki and one of the reporters holding her feet to the political fire. That’s next.
(…)
11:34:02 a.m. Eastern
STELTER: I love your assessment, Brittany, of the Psaki-era thus far. Regular briefings are great, but there have been a few times where the White House has seemed to step in it.
BRITTANY SHEPHERD: Well, Brian, it's been really refreshing to have briefings every day and to even know who the senior officials talking to Biden are. We were not getting that any of the Trump years, especially in those waning days of the [Kayleigh] McEnany briefings.
And it is refreshing. I do kind of put it towards like having a really bad ex-boyfriend. We were getting essentially abused by Kayleigh McEnany for so long. Or, at least, she was calling us fake news and inciting her followers and followers of the President to not only harass us online, but, obviously, go to deadly ends for some people. With death threats.
Now, we have Jen and the entire Biden team. It’s refreshing, but it is important to remember that the bar has literally been left on the floor –
STELTER: Yeah.
SHEPHERD: -- and just being able to show up and clear it isn't enough.
STELTER: No.
SHEPHERD: So, it's great that we're having briefings every day, but it is -- we're seeing -- we heard in that package Jen kind of chiding about the Space Force question, dodges on questions about Marjorie Taylor Greene and some other things that we should be allowed to ask the questions even if it makes them uncomfortable.
(…)
STELTER: Should Biden be more accessible to the media? I know Psaki taking questions a lot of aids are taking questions. But Biden, not as often. Are there some grumblings yet in the press corps about Biden's accessibility?
SHEPHERD: Absolutely. I think we hit the nail on the head that a lot of Obama staffers are now in the Biden administration and they like to keep a tight leash on their principle, so that he doesn’t come out in front of the camera and gaffs. I understand if I was the staffer, I would have the perspective. But I'm never going to advocate against more transparency from Biden.
A lot of times we do hear him speak from us, signing these Eos, maybe having some chopper talk. It is a really, really manicured in its veneer. So, if a Biden staffer says get out of the West Wing, we don't have an option.
Something Trump did give us was the ability to kind of ask him unvarnished questions. Of course, we would get ridiculous and crazy answers, but we knew what his perspective was at all times.
STELTER: Right.
SHEPHERD: And Biden has, kind of, built this blue wall of his staffers between us and him, and I think it will be a bit of an issue if he doesn’t come out and do sit downs.
(…)
