Ever since Donald Trump announced his campaign for president, he's gotten into a war of words with the mainstream media. After National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign on Monday night, the Trump administration's feud with the press continued.
Media clash
In recent weeks, multiple reports piled up and accused retired Gen. Michael Flynn of engaging in illegal contact with Russian officials in relation to potentially lifting sanctions on the country put in place by former President Barack Obama. Further reports indicated that Flynn had lied about the details of the phone call when speaking to President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
On Monday night, a new bombshell report was released that came from the former Attorney General Sally Yates, who allegedly warned the White House that Flynn could be "vulnerable" to bribery and blackmail from the Russians. These issues were discussed during the February 14 daily press briefings with Sean Spicer and a reporter from CNN.
During Tuesday morning's press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer clashed with a familiar foe of the Donald Trump administration. CNN reporter Jim Acosta pressed Spicer on how the president has handled Russia, calling into question how Trump was actually being "tough" on the Kremlin. "You said earlier that the president has been incredibly tough on Russia," Acosta said, before asking, "How is that possible?" "He has made comment after comment over the course of the campaign and transition where he defended Vladimir Putin," Acosta continued, before asking once again, "To a lot of Americans, this president has not be tough on Russia.
How can you say that?"
CNN’s Acosta Confronts Spicer: How Can You Say Trump's Been Tough on Russia? https://t.co/nFKfEPQ8jl (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/axqXk3jKli
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) February 14, 2017
In response, Sean Spicer continued the party-line talking point that the former host of "The Apprentice" wanted to be in good standing with foreign countries, including Russia.
At this point, Spicer went on to attack the Obama administration, blaming them for a variety of the current issues with the Kremlin, including the much-debated "Russian reset."
Moving forward
As of press time, Donald Trump has not spoken out about Michael Flynn, but in an early morning tweet, appeared more concerned with the information leaking to the press. In the coming days, it's expected that a major shakeup will occur in the White House, as a scandal has already rocked the administration after only three weeks in power.
