White House Press Office Reverts to Kindergarten

"Focus now. You ask her if we ever used the word 'ban' "Fox News

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I know you all want to be up-to-date on the latest juvenile behavior from the White House, so here you go. In the first video, Kaitlan Collins, a pool reporter from CNN, does the usual pool reporter thing:

The White House press staff was outraged by this totally normal behavior and issued a statement: “Our staff informed her she was not welcome to participate in the next event.” That seems clear enough, no? Well, no:

I’m especially amused by Shine’s condescending instruction to reporters to “focus now,” while refusing to answer any questions until they first ask Collins if Shine ever used the word “ban.” Apparently now we’re going to play some kind of White House version of Password:

“Um, forbid”

“Prohibit”

“No, like in boycott”

“Embargo.”

“No, no, um, blackball.”

“Ban.”

“Close, close, but not quite as definitive.

“Not welcome?”

“Bingo!”

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do things differently in the aftermath of a political crisis: Watergate. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after, and go deep on, stories others don’t. And we’re a nonprofit newsroom because we knew corporations and billionaires would never fund the journalism we do. Our reporting makes a difference in policies and people’s lives changed.

And we need your support like never before to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We’re running behind our online fundraising targets and urgently need all hands on deck right now. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

Please help with a donation today if you can—even just a few bucks helps. Not ready to donate but interested in our work? Sign up for our Daily newsletter to stay well-informed—and see what makes our people-powered, not profit-driven, journalism special.

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