I have to admit I was concerned after Sarah Sanders stepped down last summer as the White House’s press secretary. As I did with the late Tony Snow during the Bush years, I found Sanders to be one of the most effective, sharp, witty, and laser-focused press secretaries to ever work in a Republican presidential administration.

But after seeing new White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany in action this week, I think she’s well-prepared to put her on unique stamp on the job by refusing to play the mainstream media’s constant gotcha games.

It is perhaps McEnany making that crystal clear in recent days that triggered CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy to whine about her epic answer to Reuters reporter Jeff Mason’s gotcha question about comments she made on Fox Business back in February about the Trump administration’s Wuhan coronavirus response.

As my RedState colleague Bonchie noted in a post yesterday, McEnany turned the tables on Mason’s question about whether or not she wanted to “take back” what she said about Trump not allowing the coronavirus to come into America.

Here’s what Darcy first posted on his Twitter account in response:

If she were confident in her answer, @PressSec wouldn't have ended the briefing and left the room as reporters tried to follow up. Comparing her Feb. 25th comment to cherrypicked headlines from January and early February is deceitful. https://t.co/81Ak8u381y

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) May 6, 2020

Darcy mansplained in more detail expanded on his remarks later in the newsletter he co-writes with CNN’s chief media correspondent Brian Stelter:

CNN’s @oliverdarcy did not appreciate @PressSec calling out media outlets for their early Coronavirus mistakes pic.twitter.com/g2UXNMjCMZ

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 7, 2020

This. Is. Hilarious. Oliver Darcy of all people, criticizing alleged “cherrypicking” of the facts? The same Oliver Darcy who not only cherrypicks facts himself on a routine basis but who also works for a network full of seasoned, professional, well-paid cherrypickers is taking issue with McEnany turning a media question around on its ear?

You just cannot make it up:

“How dare she cherrypick quotes from January and February in response to us cherrypicking her quote from February 😫😫😖😫”

— John-Jo Carter (@johnjo_carter) May 7, 2020

A Media Matters and CNN mouth piece ending a post with the word, “Deceitful”, is pretty ironic.

— Wrexniz (@wrexniz) May 6, 2020

So according to Mr CNN, reading the media's headlines back to them is "deceitful"

— BEARDOG (@bhabrock12) May 6, 2020

As far as the other complaints in his newsletter go, the Wuhan coronavirus situation at the end of February as far as most people including the media and the Trump administration knew was not that much different than the situation as it stood early on in February when the media was downplaying the threat. In addition to that, CNN’s own Anderson Cooper said as late as March 4th that flu was much deadlier than the Wuhan coronavirus.

Yes, Oliver Darcy, your sanctimoniously hypocritical colleagues were downplaying the threat the week after McEnany appeared on Fox Business.

Not only that, but as far as “confidence” in answers to questions go, I can attest – as would many other conservative writers – at how often Darcy just flat out ignores the questions you ask him about his and CNN’s biased coverage of various stories and news events. So he has zero room – and I mean ZERO room – to suggest that someone walking away as questions were being asked was a signal of a lack of confidence.

Hey, Oliver, ever heard the story of the pot and the kettle, buddy?

(Hat tip: Twitchy)