Spicer to hold first on-camera press briefing in a week

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer will hold his first on-camera press briefing in a week on Tuesday, breaking from a series of off-camera sessions that have frustrated journalists in recent days.

During the briefing, Spicer is set to be joined by Energy Secretary Rick Perry, whose appearance comes amid what the Trump administration has dubbed “Energy Week.”

Spicer has increasingly irritated and angered White House correspondents by declining to regularly hold on-camera press briefings, favoring instead audio-only briefings and off-camera gaggles. 

{mosads}Spicer last held an on-camera briefing last Tuesday. Before that, he appeared on camera at a June 12 session.

Reporters have argued that by refusing to hold on-camera briefings, Spicer and other White House officials are trying to evade having to answer tough questions in front of a national audience. They have also accused the Trump administration of curbing government transparency.

Spicer and other White House officials, however, have argued that the administration has remained transparent and that reporters are often free to ask questions as they please.

In the first months after President Trump’s inauguration, Spicer’s press briefings became staples of news networks’ programming. CNN, for example, regularly aired the briefings live each day.

Faced with a ban on cameras at Friday’s press briefing, CNN brought in a courtroom sketch artist to illustrate the session.

Spicer allowed still cameras at the briefing on Monday, but television cameras were still off limits. 

The White House began allowing the briefings to be broadcast live under the Clinton administration.