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Members of the left-wing establishment press cried foul Friday when the White House allegedly tried moving CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins from her highness’s treasured spot at the front of the briefing room to a spot further behind.
According to tweets posted by Yahoo News’ Hunter Walker, just prior to the start of Friday’s White House coronavirus briefing, officials allegedly asked the “print pooler” who reportedly sits in the backmost row to switch spots with Collins.
For reasons that aren’t entirely understood, this triggered the mass gnashing of teeth from other correspondents, including Walker himself.
Look:
White House staff just came into the briefing room and informed the print pooler that they want them to swap seats w CNN. That would move CNN to the back row from the front. @whca made these seat assignments not staff
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) April 24, 2020
Pooler @chrisjohnson82 said he would not move unless he heard from the @whca. WH staffer threatened to have Secret Service enforce the swap. WHCA board members ran back into the press office to discuss
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) April 24, 2020
I am not going to participate in a briefing if the White House moves reporters from their assigned seats.
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) April 24, 2020
According to Walker, the White House eventually relented and allowed Collins to remain upfront in her original seat.
We just got word the briefing will begin in one minute. Reporters were not moved. Shout out to @chrisjohnson82 @kaitlancollins and the @whca for standing their ground.
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) April 24, 2020
In the tweet above, Walker attributed the White House backing down to the decision by the WHCA, Collins and the “print pooler” to reportedly stand their ground.
He further identified the “pooler” as Chris Johnson, a “reporter” for the Washington Blade whose Twitter profile identifies him as someone dedicated to “[b]ringing you all the LGBT news that’s fit to print.”
It’s not clear whether Johnson is aware of Collins’ homophobic history.
It’s also not clear how exactly the press stood their ground when reports have emerged that they threatened to walk out of the briefing. Ironically, walking out of the briefing was exactly what President Donald Trump wound up doing without answering questions.
Watch (disable your adblocker if the video doesn’t appear):
The questions reportedly pertained to his disinfectant remarks from Thursday, which were and are still being distorted by members of media, including Collins’ immediate boss, CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta.
As word of the media’s threats to walk out spread, One America News Network CEO Robert Herring posted a tweet revealing he’d been receiving “calls and emails” from non-establishment reporters “who would like a seat at the White House if the press corps walks out.”
we have been getting calls and emails from people who would like a journalist’s seat at the White House, if the press corps walks out. They are all good, real news people.
— Robert Herring (@RobHerring) April 24, 2020
“They are all good, real news people,” he added.
As opposed to some of the dubious figures whom the WCHA has allowed to attend the White House’s briefings, including literal propagandists for the Chinese Communist Party.
“The fact that the American press is spending more time attempting to discredit Trump’s leadership on the coronavirus crisis than in reporting on the origins of the virus and the truth about China’s misrepresentation of the facts is appalling,” Barry Richards of Massachusetts of AM radio station WBSM wrote earlier this month in response to the WHCA’s behavior.
“That the White House Correspondents Association is providing the Chinese Communist Party access to the president for purposes of propaganda is downright disturbing.”
Dovetailing back to Hunter’s tweets, he also claimed via Johnson that a “WH staffer threatened to have Secret Service enforce the swap.” However, this claim has been disputed by the Secret Service, according to ABC News’ Jon Karl:
“The Secret Service tells the WHCA they were not involved whatsoever in this effort by the White House to change seating assignments,” according to @whca president @jonkarl.
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) April 24, 2020
Following the alleged altercation before Friday’s White House briefing, Collins took to Twitter herself to tell her side of the story.
Look:
Tonight the White House tried to have me, and only me, swap seats with another reporter several rows back. We both refused to move from our seats that were assigned well in advance. The briefing was short, the president took no questions and it proceeded as planned.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 24, 2020
While the tweet certainly wasn’t ratioed, not everybody responded to it with praise and adoration.
Look (*Language warning):
When CNN stops receiving talking points from the DNC – then your organization may have more respect.
— Parag Gupta (@Parag_Gupta) April 25, 2020
Cry some more. It’s a privilege not a right. Your network is full of shit. Hopefully they just kick your tabloid BS outfit out of there. Long time coming.
— WTF___Over (@WTF___Over) April 25, 2020
Oh, she is sooo brave. Maybe we should salute her. Give me a break, who cares where you sit?? You have a damn seat don’t you? Ask @OANN @ChanelRion about a place to sit you cry babies!! Pathetic- no wonder no one watches or cares abt @CNN. All pansies!!
— Sarah Via (@SarahVia6) April 25, 2020
I don’t understand why you wouldn’t swap seats? Anything Trump says is evil, including swapping seats? So weird.
— Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself (@WHACKDtoken) April 25, 2020
Any thoughts on #TaraReade and why you guys are being silent about that right now, Kaitlan? I thought it was #BelieveAllWomen, amirite?
— Will | Long Island Patriot (@WorkingClassLI) April 25, 2020
The latter tweet was in reference to the fact that CNN has and continues to mostly ignore any news pertaining to the sexual assault allegations against presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden.
How is there nothing in CNN’s “Reliable Sources” newsletter about the @theintercept piece on Biden or the @theMRC releasing audio of Tara Reade’s mom calling into Larry King Live?https://t.co/J3jnXD2weu
— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) April 25, 2020
This is what the newsletter is covering over the Biden story. pic.twitter.com/zAIyu3WUTI
— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) April 25, 2020
It’s almost as if @brianstelter is in the tank, a “hack” so to speak.
— DocWashburn (@DocWashburn) April 25, 2020
Collins has likewise never once complained about being forced to work alongside literal Communist Party of China propagandists.
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