The White House Just Declared War on CNN [View all]

[mcar]

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a55930/sarah-huckabee-sanders-press-conference/

...But the real moment came when some guy from Breitbart asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders about the recent dust-up between the White House and CNN, and the ensuing firings at the latter, and this is what the official White House spokesperson said in reply:

"I think it's the constant barrage of fake news directed at this president that has garnered a lot of his frustration. You point to that report. There are multiple other instances where that outlet that you referenced has been repeatedly wrong and has been had to point that out or be corrected. There's a video circulating now, whether it's accurate or not, I don't know, but I would encourage everybody in this room and, frankly, everybody across the country, to take a look at it. I think if it is accurate, I think it's a disgrace to all of media, to all of journalism. I think that we have gone to a place where, if the media can't be trusted to report the news, then that's a dangerous place for America. I think if that's the place that certain outlets are going, particularly for the purposes of spiking ratings, I think that's even more scary, and certainly more disgraceful."

In case you missed it, the White House just declared war on CNN. (Odd, because, if it weren't for executives seeking to spike ratings, Donald Trump would be back haunting dressing rooms at the Miss Universe pageant and Sarah Huckabee Sanders would be on the 700 Club, hawking Jesus by the pound.) Moreover, it did so by having the White House officially endorse James O'Keefe's latest preposterous ratfcking project. What's next? Sarah Huckabee Sanders beginning the next briefing with, "But first, a word about Alex Jones and his magical brain pills"?

It's CNN's obligation to fight back on this, hard. Time to cut loose Jeffrey Lord. Time for Jeff Zucker to stop worrying about what the president* and the White House think of him. Time for the network to be as cutthroat as the administration that is trying to destroy it.