From the “you can’t make this stuff up files”
by digby
A Fox News Radio correspondent confronted in the White House briefing room the White House reporter for a website that traffics in conspiracy theories, witnesses said on Friday.
As reporters were getting settled ahead of Friday’s briefing, the Fox correspondent Jon Decker pointed out that a reporter from Gateway Pundit, Lucian Wintrich, was in the room and that they “hate blacks, Jews, Hispanics,” according to BuzzFeed White House correspondent Adrian Carrasquillo, who tweeted about the incident.
Decker also sent an email to the entire White House reporter email listserv, noting that the White House “has admitted Gateway Pundit into today’s White House Press Briefing.”
While some in the White House briefing room say the White House should be open to any and all outlets, others have expressed concern with certain outlets being legitimized via their White House credentials.
Fox News confirmed Decker was reacting to previous tweets Wintrich had posted. According to a White House Correspondent in the room, several reporters shook Decker’s hands as he walked back to the Fox News radio booth.
“Props to Jon Decker for speaking up in the press room. It would be much harder for a minority reporter to speak up like he did,” the correspondent said. “As a member of the WHCA board and as a white man him standing up and saying that meant a lot to reporters in the room.”
Shortly after the interaction, Gateway Pundit published a post claiming that Decker grabbed Wintrich’s arm, assaulted him and shouted that he was a Nazi and that The Gateway Pundit “is a white supremacist publication.” Decker and Fox News deny that any sort of assault occurred. Another White House correspondent who witnessed the incident said no physical altercation occurred.
“Earlier today I had a conversation with a representative from the online publication Gateway Pundit,” Decker said in a statement. “The conversation was straightforward and direct. I also informed the full White House pool that this representative was present in the Briefing Room. At no time did I accost or assault this individual. More than a dozen witnesses will attest to this fact.”
For those who aren’t aware of blogospheric history, Gateway Pundit is run by a man named Jim Hoft. His nickname for years has been “The Dumbest Man on the Internet.” Seriously. I’m not kidding.
You can read about him and his correspondent pictured above, (who’s previous claim to fame was the “twinks4Trump” art exhibit at the RNClast summer) and the white supremacist “Pepe” meme they are promoting in the tweet, here. You won’t believe it.
They are now credentialed as White House correspondents.
I think that says everything you need to know about The Trump administration right there.
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