Trump berates CNN reporter: ‘You are fake news’
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday refused to take a question from a CNN reporter during his press conference, berating the network for “fake news.”
“Your organization is terrible,” Trump told CNN’s Jim Acosta when he tried to ask a question.
“You’re attacking us, can you give us a question?” Acosta replied.
{mosads}
“Don’t be rude. No, I’m not going to give you a question. You are fake news,” Trump responded, before calling on a reporter from Breitbart.
CNN on Tuesday night reported that intelligence officials had briefed Trump on an unverified dossier alleging that the Russian government is in possession of compromising information about him.
The 35-page document — made up of a collection of memos filled with explosive claims about the billionaire’s relationship to Russia — has reportedly been circulating among journalists and officials for at least a few weeks.
But the sourcing on the document is unclear and likely unverifiable. CNN reported that it is based primarily on memos compiled by a former British intelligence operative that were intended as opposition research into Trump.
The president-elect on Tuesday night immediately blasted the report, tweeting, “FAKE NEWS – A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!”
During the press conference, Trump specifically called out CNN for pushing the story, saying it was “disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out.”
“I think it’s a disgrace, and I say that, and that’s something that Nazi Germany who have done and did do,” he said.
“I think it’s a disgrace that information that was false and fake and never happened got released to the public. As far as BuzzFeed, which is a failing pile of garbage, writing it, I think they’re going to suffer the consequences. They already are. And as far as CNN going out of their way to build it up.”
The president-elect often rails on the media and has attacked CNN several times in the past for what he says is dishonest and biased coverage against him.
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