NBC News reports:
Acosta tweeted Wednesday night that he was denied access when he tried to enter the White House. He added in another tweet that he didn’t “blame” the U.S. Secret Service agent who stopped him. “I know he’s just doing his job,” Acosta wrote.
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders later issued a statement that said the reporter’s “hard pass” was suspended as a result of his attempt to keep control of a microphone during Wednesday’s news conference with the president.
She said Acosta put “his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern” during the session, a claim that doesn’t appear to be supported by video of the incident. The press secretary called Acosta’s behavior “absolutely unacceptable.”
Business Insider reports:
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been accused of sharing a doctored version of the video, which slows down the intern’s approach and speeds up Acosta’s arm movement, making the moment appear more violent.
What appears to be the same video was shared two hours earlier by Paul Joseph Watson, the editor-at-large of Infowars.com, a far-right outlet whose content has been banned from almost every major tech outlet including Apple, Facebook, Spotify, and YouTube for spreading conspiracy theories.
BREAKING: President Trump, CNN Correspondent Jim Acosta and @NBCNews Correspondent @PeterAlexander engage in tense exchanges in post-election news conference. pic.twitter.com/WUlXemGn7y
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 7, 2018
We stand by our decision to revoke this individual’s hard pass. We will not tolerate the inappropriate behavior clearly documented in this video. pic.twitter.com/T8X1Ng912y
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) November 8, 2018
White House correspondents represent the public. Their job is to ask hard questions, not to be polite company.
It is unacceptable for the president to expel a reporter, Jim Acosta, for doing his job aggressively. The White House should reverse this decision immediately.
— ACLU (@ACLU) November 8, 2018
Meet the Tracy Flick of Fascism: brunette, grabbing mics, and silencing the pesky inconveniences of that gosh-darn First Amendment!pic.twitter.com/BjZiLoMLxE
— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) November 8, 2018
Who will break the news to @PressSec that there’s video of the event she’s misrepresenting here? https://t.co/9OKNhKDJUp
— David Frum (@davidfrum) November 8, 2018
Give me a damn break.@acosta didn’t assault anybody.@PressSec, on the other hand, happily lies for a man who boasts about “grabbing women by the (baby cat)”. https://t.co/BOnOB2h5E6
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) November 8, 2018
President Trump — who has been accused numerous times of putting his hands, unwanted, on women, and who defended his campaign manager when he grabbed a female Breitbart reporter in 2016 — revokes @Acosta’s hard pass for “placing his hands” on an intern (which he didn’t do)
— Matt Viser (@mviser) November 8, 2018
.@Acosta didn’t grab or place his hand on the WH intern. But let’s not pretend the president and his campaign didn’t lie for a week about his campaign manager grabbing a reporter or that the president praised a congressman who attacked a reporter.
This is shameful & bad faith.
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) November 8, 2018
.@WHCA Statement On Revoked White House Access via President @OKnox pic.twitter.com/EVXpy272ut
— WHCA (@whca) November 8, 2018
Tonight the White House revoked @Acosta’s press pass. CNN’s response to @PressSec and @realDonaldTrump: pic.twitter.com/EY2iFLvP3P
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 8, 2018
Here is a video of the interaction for the world to see: pic.twitter.com/us8u5TWzDz
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 8, 2018
News the White House pulled Jim @Acosta’s credentials is not an attack on one journalist but all of the press. There should be complete solidarity. This is a moment for any Republican who says they believe in the Constitution to stand up.
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) November 8, 2018
There’s always a tweet. #Acosta pic.twitter.com/lyOvqhHjWW
— JoeMyGod (@JoeMyGod) November 8, 2018
Within moments of @Acosta asking his question at the presser this morning, hundreds of accounts began spamming multiple hashtags accusing him of assault.
Those same accounts are now pushing the narrative he should be arrested.
Here is one example: pic.twitter.com/tW8QpR8X9J
— Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) November 8, 2018