Media raise concerns about Trump retaliation after seating changes

by Alicia Cohn - 06/09/17 7:35 PM ET

CNN was placed in the "Siberia" section of rose garden press conference, sparking network to ask if WH is retaliating against them pic.twitter.com/li6xBqvXZY

— Salvador Hernandez (@SalHernandez) June 9, 2017

CNN is asking questions about the White House’s decision to place their reporter in the back of a White House press briefing on Friday.

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“We were in the equivalent of Siberia, no pun intended, when it comes to where we were seated,” CNN’s Jim Acosta told Wolf Blitzer on Friday night. “That could be seen as an oversight on the part of the White House staff but it could also be seen as retaliation over the reporting we’re doing over here at CNN.”

CNN reporters are typically seated with other cable news networks at the front of press events so that their cameras have an unobstructed view for stand up live shots.

The White House has occasionally changed seating arrangements in the past for various reasons, however during Friday’s event Trump specifically called out the cable news networks for treating him “so badly.”

“Should I take one of the killer networks that treat me so badly as fake news?” Trump asked, before calling on ABC’s Jon Karl.

Of course, this may just be an oversight by WH staff. But it could also be seen as retaliation for our coverage. I have emailed @PressSec https://t.co/blnlgQBqYN

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 9, 2017

Friday’s event also followed testimony on Thursday in which The New York Times was called out for “not true” reporting on members of Trump’s campaign, and other reporters pointed out that the Times was seated in the back row, too.

The White House has put the New York Times in the last row at today’s joint press conference with Trump and Romania’s president pic.twitter.com/ChFGMDpGti

— Gabby Morrongiello (@gabriellahope_) June 9, 2017

Fired FBI Director James Comey said in Senate testimony the day before that a bombshell report titled “Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence” was “in the main, it was not true.”

The paper defended its reporting on Thursday and sought to clarify which parts of its reporting Comey disputed.

Tags CNN Dismissal of James Comey Donald Trump Jim Acosta