In Contentious White House Press Briefing, Sanders Unloads on Media

By John Fredericks (July 13, 2017) Washington, D.C. –-

Sit at your own risk: Sanders is firing back at the legacy media reporters in the White House correspondents press corps who sit in the press room’s most coveted seats.

The first two rows of seats at the daily White House press briefings are reserved for the legacy media. The big names, once revered and respected.

These days they’ve become mere cannon fodder for a very feisty deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Here is an example of Sander’s return fire at the White House’s July 13 presser, responding to a question about U.S Rep. Trey Gowdy’s (R-SC) recent public statements that the Russian inquiry’s drip, drip, drip of negative news is eroding the credibility of the Trump Administration.

“I think it’s actually undermining the credibility of the media because they drip, drip, drip a lot of things that don’t seem to have much to — much ado about nothing,” Sanders shot back, incredulously.

Peppered with questions about Donald Trump Jr.’s emails and his meeting with a Russian lawyer who claimed to have dirt on Hillary Clinton, Sanders offered little fodder. But she consistently turned the tables – to the Clintons.

When pressed by CBS’s Major Garrett on the issue of “amnesia” by Trump family members and campaign operatives – Garrett asked, “Why can’t anybody remember these Russian meetings? Why the plague of amnesia about these Russian meetings?” — Sanders quickly pivoted and responded with a salvo of here own.

“I think if there’s been any evidence of collusion in 2016 that’s come out at all or has been discussed that’s actually happened, it would be between the DNC [Democratic National Committee] and the Ukrainian government,” Sanders said.

“I don’t often quote the New York Times, but even one of their reporters tweeted earlier today that — why this example provides evidence of collusion: cooperation was between DNC officials and officials from the Ukrainian government, not just some associate.”

Sanders also brought up the so-called Trump “dossier,” which is a fancy French word for opposition research.

“Ukrainian actions to coordinate with the DNC were actually successful, unlike anything shown by Don Jr.’s emails,” Sanders replied.

“Information passed to the DNC from the Ukrainian government directly targeted members of the Trump campaign in an attempt to undermine it.  And that was just Ukraine. The other big news was the foreign intelligence dossier that the President’s political opponents funded and disseminated widely, and was based on discredited opposition research from foreign intelligence sources. The only collusion I’ve seen, and that’s certainly been proven, would be between those people.”

Naturally, the legacy media has conveniently ignored of all of those stories, along with Benghazi and Bill Clinton’s infamous tarmac meeting with then Attorney General Loretta Lynch – who was supposedly investigating his wife.

When asked about those within the administration who had subsequently admitted to or finally conceded they had contacts with Russians — Mike Flynn, Jared Kushner, Jeff Sessions and Don Jr., Sanders, not missing a beat, shifted directly into battle mode.

“Look,” Sanders chided the reporter, “I think if you want to talk about having relationships with Russia, I’d look no further than the Clintons.  Bill Clinton was paid half a million dollars to give a speech to a Russian bank, personally thanked by President Putin. Hillary Clinton allowed one-fifth of America’s uranium reserve to be sold to a Russian firm — whose investors were Clinton Foundation donors.  The Clinton campaign chairman’s brother lobbied against sanctions on Russia’s largest bank and failed to report it. I think if we were looking at Russia relations with anybody, it would be directly with the Clintons.”

Sanders said she’d be splitting press-briefing duties with her boss, Sean Spicer. “We are very busy. It’s whoever’s available.”

As the President heads off to Paris on Wednesday night for Bastille Day ceremonies and meetings with new French President Macron, no doubt Sanders will be gearing up for another target practice with her acknowledged nemesis: the front rows of the White House press corps