Tuesday, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who worked under former president George W. Bush, took to twitter after the announcement of CNN pursuing a lawsuit against the White House.
This comes just days after CNN’s Jim Acosta’s “hard pass” credentials were pulled after an altercation with a White House intern.
Ari Fleischer predicts that CNN‘s lawsuit against the Trump administration will “backfire” because its correspondent, Jim Acosta, has “pushed the envelope” of acceptable behavior by a reporter.
“Tension in the briefing room is natural and inevitable, but Acosta has pushed the envelope beyond what any reporter I’ve ever known has done. I think CNN’s suit is a bad move that will backfire. Acosta Hill is the wrong one to die on.” He said.
Fleischer suggested the conflict could be settled if CNN would “tell Acosta to stop taking stands and to simply ask questions” and that the White House could agree to give Acosta his credential back “so long as he agrees to stop his editorial act.”
CNN announced Tuesday they are pursuing a lawsuit against the White House for violating the First Amendment after Jim Acosta’s press pass was suspended. (Article Continues Below)
In a statement CNN wrote, “This morning, CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in DC District Court. The White House has violated CNN and Jim Acosta’s First Amendment rights of freedom of the press and Fifth Amendment rights to due process. We are demanding the immediate return of Jim’s White House credential.”
(Related: Network Drops Lawsuit On The White House, Sarah Sanders Instantly Fires Back)
Shortly after CNN announced their decision, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders shot back and declared the White House would “vigorously defend” against the lawsuit from “grandstanding” CNN. (Article Continues Below)
The White House said last week that it was suspending Acosta’s hard pass until further notice after a heated exchange between him and President Trump at a press conference. After Acosta was called on to ask a question, Trump attempted to move on to another reporter, but Acosta initially refused to hand over the microphone to a White House intern.
(Related: JUST IN: White House Gives Jim The Ultimate Punishment For His Latest Misconduct)
Ari Fleischer’s Official Tweets:
If I were in charge of CNN, I'd tell Acosta to stop taking stands and to simply ask questions. If i were in charge at the WH, I'd let some time pass and let Acosta back in, so long as he agrees to stop his editorial act.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) November 13, 2018
