May 12, 2017
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer refused multiple times during the daily press briefing to clarify President Donald Trump's Friday morning tweets, saying he had "nothing further to add" when asked about Trump's cryptic warning to former FBI director James Comey.
Watch:
Spicer likewise demurred when asked if there are "recording devices in the Oval Office," and later said he was "not aware" of audio recordings of the January 27th dinner between Trump and Comey.
\u201cRegarding White House audio recordings of the January 27th Trump/Comey dinner. Press Sec. Sean Spicer tells me, \u201cI\u2019m not aware of that."\u201d— Trey Yingst (@Trey Yingst) 1494613636
\u201cSean Spicer has given some firm denials in this press briefing. In questions about whether Trump tapes conversations, he didn\u2019t deny.\u201d— Matt Viser (@Matt Viser) 1494611813
The press secretary also claimed Trump's "tapes" tweet--which has raised abundant questions--"speaks for itself."
Meanwhile, when probed on whether Trump really wanted to cancel the White House press briefings (another threat he tweeted Friday morning), Spicer said the president was "dismayed" at how the media "parses every little word and make it more of a game of gotcha."
\u201cWH spokesman complains that "every word is picked apart" by the press covering him. \n\nYep. \n\n#thatshowitworks #wordsmatter #journalism101\u201d— Kevin Baron \ud83c\udf41\ud83c\udf42 (@Kevin Baron \ud83c\udf41\ud83c\udf42) 1494612818
\u201cTrump might cancel daily briefing because he's 'dismayed' that the press 'parses every little word' -- and no, I didn't just make this up.\u201d— Glenn Thrush (@Glenn Thrush) 1494611648
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer refused multiple times during the daily press briefing to clarify President Donald Trump's Friday morning tweets, saying he had "nothing further to add" when asked about Trump's cryptic warning to former FBI director James Comey.
Watch:
Spicer likewise demurred when asked if there are "recording devices in the Oval Office," and later said he was "not aware" of audio recordings of the January 27th dinner between Trump and Comey.
\u201cRegarding White House audio recordings of the January 27th Trump/Comey dinner. Press Sec. Sean Spicer tells me, \u201cI\u2019m not aware of that."\u201d— Trey Yingst (@Trey Yingst) 1494613636
\u201cSean Spicer has given some firm denials in this press briefing. In questions about whether Trump tapes conversations, he didn\u2019t deny.\u201d— Matt Viser (@Matt Viser) 1494611813
The press secretary also claimed Trump's "tapes" tweet--which has raised abundant questions--"speaks for itself."
Meanwhile, when probed on whether Trump really wanted to cancel the White House press briefings (another threat he tweeted Friday morning), Spicer said the president was "dismayed" at how the media "parses every little word and make it more of a game of gotcha."
\u201cWH spokesman complains that "every word is picked apart" by the press covering him. \n\nYep. \n\n#thatshowitworks #wordsmatter #journalism101\u201d— Kevin Baron \ud83c\udf41\ud83c\udf42 (@Kevin Baron \ud83c\udf41\ud83c\udf42) 1494612818
\u201cTrump might cancel daily briefing because he's 'dismayed' that the press 'parses every little word' -- and no, I didn't just make this up.\u201d— Glenn Thrush (@Glenn Thrush) 1494611648
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer refused multiple times during the daily press briefing to clarify President Donald Trump's Friday morning tweets, saying he had "nothing further to add" when asked about Trump's cryptic warning to former FBI director James Comey.
Watch:
Spicer likewise demurred when asked if there are "recording devices in the Oval Office," and later said he was "not aware" of audio recordings of the January 27th dinner between Trump and Comey.
\u201cRegarding White House audio recordings of the January 27th Trump/Comey dinner. Press Sec. Sean Spicer tells me, \u201cI\u2019m not aware of that."\u201d— Trey Yingst (@Trey Yingst) 1494613636
\u201cSean Spicer has given some firm denials in this press briefing. In questions about whether Trump tapes conversations, he didn\u2019t deny.\u201d— Matt Viser (@Matt Viser) 1494611813
The press secretary also claimed Trump's "tapes" tweet--which has raised abundant questions--"speaks for itself."
Meanwhile, when probed on whether Trump really wanted to cancel the White House press briefings (another threat he tweeted Friday morning), Spicer said the president was "dismayed" at how the media "parses every little word and make it more of a game of gotcha."
\u201cWH spokesman complains that "every word is picked apart" by the press covering him. \n\nYep. \n\n#thatshowitworks #wordsmatter #journalism101\u201d— Kevin Baron \ud83c\udf41\ud83c\udf42 (@Kevin Baron \ud83c\udf41\ud83c\udf42) 1494612818
\u201cTrump might cancel daily briefing because he's 'dismayed' that the press 'parses every little word' -- and no, I didn't just make this up.\u201d— Glenn Thrush (@Glenn Thrush) 1494611648
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.