Jim Acosta’s upset. Someone did something to him that he considers inexcusable: on Monday, somebody shouted at him.
Yes — shouted.
Right after he shouted a question at Donald Trump:
“Mr. President, if there was no collusion, why does Rudy Giuliani consider there to be no crime in collusion?”
To be sure, by the way, Giuliani beefed it — speaking to Fox News Monday morning, he pointed out that collusion isn’t illegal. The choice was extremely poor.
“Four months, they’re not going to be colluding with Russia, which I don’t even know if that’s a crime, colluding about Russians.”
Here’s a rule: if you’re trying to convince someone you didn’t do something, it doesn’t help your case if you pause to explain that it wouldn’t be wrong if you did it.
To clarify: if you’re talking about putting extra butter on your potato, disregard my advice; but if the topic is working with a foreign entity to interfere in the American presidential election which you won, my advice is pretty spectacular.
Anyway, after Acosta’s shouted question, a White House staffer offered her own shout to the crowd:
“Make your way out.”
Then, a shout, specifically, at Jim:
“Let’s go. Move, Jim, let’s go. Keep going, Jim. Let’s go. Jim, we’re leaving. Come on, Jim,” etc.
Does that sound great in your head, just reading it?
Acosta is a shouter by (un)profession. His conduct at the White House, according to many, is perpetually rude. Some may even say he soils the industry of journalism with his obvious anti-Trump disposition. And some may be correct.
Watch the shoutdown for yourself:
White House aide shout down Jim @Acosta for asking collusion questions: “Move, Jim! Let’s go! Keep going Jim. Let’s go. We’re leaving. Come on Jim. Go. We’re done.” pic.twitter.com/UhGoN7CHN4
— Evan Rosenfeld (@Evan_Rosenfeld) July 30, 2018
I know — it could’ve been more fulfilling. But the incident isn’t the point of the story. At issue is Acosta’s response.
He wasn’t happy. He went on CNN to express his displeasure to Wolf Blitzer:
“I’ve noticed, and my colleagues have noticed. With more frequency in these sort of Oval Office opportunities, the wranglers, the aides that work with the President, are nearly shouting at the top of their lungs to make sure the President’s questions — the questions from the reporters — can’t be heard. … I had an aide next to my ear, nearly screaming within the last several minutes when the President was with the Italian president in the Oval Office. But it’s an example of just how hard they are trying to keep reporters from asking the President questions.”
Nice.
So, time-limiting a news briefing is an attempt to prevent reporters from asking Trump questions?
Oddly enough, CNN itself says Acosta shouts:
Something tells me Jim will never stop. He’s going to keep shouting, and keep shouting. But today, something happened: the shouter got shouted at. Acosta got accosted. And for one brief moment in time, as perhaps the rudest reporter in White House history complained about the White House being rude, it was pretty doggone funny.
Thanks for reading! Please check out my other Acosta story, here.
For something (pretty much) totally different, please check out my coverage of the WNBA’s plan to help women by aborting them, Acosta-lookalike George Clooney’s wife’s speech at Vanderbilt, and Bank of America’s stance against gun ownership.
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