CNN’s Acosta: ‘The fix is in’ on who gets to ask Trump questions

CNN’s Jim Acosta said Wednesday that President Trump only called on conservative news outlets during his joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because “the fix is in” on which outlets get to ask questions.

“You have a White House now that is in crisis,” said CNN host John King following coverage of the news conference. “And calling on conservative news outlets, fine. But it doesn’t answer questions the people should have. Questions that the American people, not just the news media, have.”

Acosta, who was at the White House but was not called upon and was heard shouting a question when the news conference ended, was asked by King for his take on the president’s choice of outlets that asked questions.

“The two questions that were asked or called upon from the president in this news conference went to the Christian Broadcasting Network, no accident, which is obviously owned by Pat Robertson, the televangelist down in Virginia,” said Acosta. “It’s a very conservative broadcasting network.”

{mosads}Acosta then characterized TownHall.com, which got the second question, as “a very conservative website.”

“And so in the last three news conferences, all of the questions to the American news media have been handled by conservative press. And, I think, there’s no other way to describe it, but the fix is in,” the reporter said.

“This White House, this president, does not want to answer questions, critical questions, about his associates, his aides’ contacts with the Russians during the course of that campaign, just as his national security adviser is being run out of this White House on a rail.”

Trump early Wednesday slammed the “fake news media” and leaks from the intelligence community after reports emerged that senior aides with his presidential campaign were regularly in contact with Russian intelligence officials.

Trump in his first tweet of the morning said the “fake news media” is “going crazy with conspiracy theories and blind hatred.”

Trump also criticized MSNBC and CNN, but said Fox News’s “Fox and Friends” is “great!”

“The fake news media is going crazy with their conspiracy theories and blind hatred. @MSNBC & @CNN are unwatchable. @foxandfriends is great!” he tweeted.

The fake news media is going crazy with their conspiracy theories and blind hatred. @MSNBC & @CNN are unwatchable. @foxandfriends is great!

— onald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017