Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer blamed grandstanding “B-rate” reporters Wednesday for President Trump’s decision to eliminate televised press briefings at the White House.
“They’re making the right call on this,” Mr. Spicer said on Fox News. “I think that the briefing turned into a circus, where you created a bunch of YouTube stars that were B-rate reporters to begin that had gotten no recognition in the past.”
His observation came a day after Mr. Trump tweeted that he told White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders “not to bother” with press briefings because “the press covers her so rudely & inaccurately.”
Mrs. Sanders’ last televised briefing from the press room podium was Dec. 18.
Mr. Spicer, who left the White House job in the summer of 2017, said the media is to blame for the briefings disappearing.
“It’s about the conduct [of reporters],” he said. “They want to make it into a circus. They want to make themselves stars. They want to get viral videos. I get that. But the White House’s job is to provide information to the public and the media, and they can do so in much more efficient ways.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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