US - #WeeklyAddress: February 12 - 18: Press Secretary tells reporters they "put national security at risk"

White House Press Secretary says reporters “put national security at risk”

During a White House press briefing on February 12, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders blamed reporters for publishing classified information that “put[s] national security at risk”. The press briefing, which originally focused on President Trump’s infrastructure plan, led to questions over the recent accusations against former White House aide Rob Porter, who reportedly physically abused his ex-wives. Reporters attempted to question the White House about keeping Porter on as staff, despite reports that he never received full security clearance, and that chief of staff John F. Kelly knew about the reported abuse as early as fall of last year. Sanders lashed out against the media: “If you guys have real concerns about leaking out classified information, look around this room. You guys are the ones that publish classified information and put national security at risk that doesn’t come from this White House.” Sanders is known to get into quarrels with reporters during press briefings, accusing the press of intentionally “misleading the American people.”

Washington Post reports it’s been more than 363 days since the president held a press conference

The Washington Post reported on February 13 that President Trump has held only three press conferences since he won the Republican nomination in July 2016, and more than 360 days had elapsed since his last conference. One took place in July 2016 when Trump was a general-election candidate, another took place in January 2017 when Trump was president-elect, and the latest one was held in February 2017 just after Trump took office. However, Politico’s Jason Schwartz reported in October 2017 that President Trump is more media-accessible than former president Barack Obama; “Trump shun[s] the traditional, formal press conference normally associated with the presidency in favor of more freewheeling, impromptu exchanges.” Trump’s hostile attitude towards the press could account for his unwillingness to hold more regular news conferences. He has repeatedly criticized news outlets and individual journalists on Twitter, and even put out “fake news” awards at the beginning of last month.

After new indictments were issued in relation to the Russia investigation, Trump goes on anti-media twitter tirade

On February 17, President Trump went on a Twitter rampage against the media and how networks have been covering the recent Russia collusion updates.

Trump was referring to the charges spelled out in a 37-page indictment issued on Friday against 13 Russian nationals and three businesses as a result of special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation.

Trump’s tweets targeted the “Fake News Media”. He also retweeted another anti-CNN cartoon that shows an elderly CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer continuing to report on the Russian collusion in 2038, without having proven anything to that effect. The Twitter account from which this cartoon originated was suspended, yet Trump’s retweet still remains on his feed.

The United States ranks 43rd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2017 World Press Freedom Index after falling 2 places in the last year.

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