White House accused of sharing "doctored" video of CNN reporter, intern exchange
Less than a day after banning CNN reporter Jim Acosta from the White House, press secretary Sarah Sanders is facing additional scrutiny after sharing an edited video clip that showed Acosta's brief exchange with an aide over a mic. Among the critics was a CNN executive who called it "a doctored video – actual fake news."
The White House said Wednesday it was suspending Acosta's "hard pass," which allows him press access to the White House, because it will "never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern."
"This is a lie," Acosta tweeted in response to that statement.
The incident in question occurred during a White House press conference Wednesday, when Acosta was trying to ask President Trump a question about whether his campaign rhetoric "demonized immigrants." "That's enough. That's enough," Mr. Trump said, and tried to move on to another reporter, but Acosta persisted with his questioning.
At that point, a White House intern reached over and tried to take the microphone away from him. "Pardon me, ma'am," Acosta said to her as he hung onto the mic. (Watch the full video in the player above.)
Sanders shared an edited version of the footage that slows down the intern's approach to Acosta and then appears to speed up on the journalist's arm movement. "We will not tolerate the inappropriate behavior clearly documented in this video," she wrote in a tweet.
We stand by our decision to revoke this individual’s hard pass. We will not tolerate the inappropriate behavior clearly documented in this video. pic.twitter.com/T8X1Ng912y
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) November 8, 2018
Journalists and others on social media criticized Sanders for distributing the video, which created the appearance that the encounter was more "violent" than it actually was.
"Absolutely shameful," CNN vice president of communications and digital partnerships Matt Dornic tweeted. "You released a doctored video – actual fake news. History will not be kind to you."
The video shared by the White House to justify banning Jim @Acosta appears to be a doctored video created by an Infowars editor.
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) November 8, 2018
The video slows down the intern's approach/speeds up Acosta's arm movement, making it appear more violent.https://t.co/FEyHtNQxG6
1) Took @PressSec Sarah Sanders' video of briefing
— Rafael Shimunov 🔥 (@rafaelshimunov) November 8, 2018
2) Tinted red and made transparent over CSPAN video
3) Red motion is when they doctored video speed
4) Sped up to make Jim Acosta's motion look like a chop
5) I've edited video for 15+ years
6) The White House doctored it pic.twitter.com/q6arkYSx0V
.@PressSec you are seriously tweeting out an obviously doctored video – from InfoWars no less – to substantiate a false accusation of assault against a journalist???
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) November 8, 2018
The standard for libel against a public figure is acting with “actual malice,” and your tweet is Exhibit A. https://t.co/G6JKx3ZrpN
Reporters from CNN, Newsweek, the Washington Post and other outlets traced the origins of the edited video and said it was first posted by a commentator associated with Alex Jones' right-wing conspiracy site, InfoWars.
This is a video that Infowars made. They sped it up so that it seems more violent than it is. https://t.co/FH1tsGSSaU
— Nicole Goodkind (@NicoleGoodkind) November 8, 2018
Question for @PressSec: Where'd you obtain the distorted @Acosta video you posted? InfoWars personality @PrisonPlanet posted the same video two hours before you did. Surely you don't trust InfoWars...?
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 8, 2018
Sanders stuck by the White House statement — and the video — on Thursday.
"The question is: did the reporter make contact or not? The video is clear, he did. We stand by our statement," Sanders told the press pool.