Spicer knocks April Ryan: She’s ‘more interested in personal fame’

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Saturday knocked reporter April Ryan, claiming she was only “interested in personal fame” in her feud with his successor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Ryan, a reporter for American Urban Radio Networks, drew attention this week when she accused Sanders of singling her out during a press briefing and wanting to start “a physical fight” with her.

“By her own admission she’s been in the briefing room for 21 years. And it’s not just [Ryan], but there’s a lot of other reporters that because of the attention the briefing gets now have gotten newfound notoriety,” Spicer said on “Fox & Friends.”

The former White House official claimed reporters have pushed for “viral moments” in briefings to secure TV contracts, noting that Ryan is also working as a CNN contributor.

“What that tells me is they’re more interested in personal fame,” he said. 

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Ryan defended her question to Sanders during the White House briefing this week on whether President Trump had any new plans to resign amid recent controversies, maintaining it was “not ridiculous” to ask.

Spicer, who frequently butted heads with reporters before leaving the White House last summer, told Fox News that he thinks there are reporters without overt bias toward the president, but claimed that others seeking attention have “changed the nature” of the briefings. 

“I wouldn’t paint it with a broad brush. There are journalists in there that are really committed to doing a great job and focusing on the facts and solid journalism and storytelling. I think there are several that have realized that they can get newfound fame,” Spicer said.