As Republican presidential frontrunner–and in some corners of the GOP, presumed nominee–Donald Trump rolled to victories Tuesday, the campaign’s spokesperson defended Trump’s targeted of reporters.
“If you have a reporter that is not really reporting, but just doing constant hit pieces for no reason, then that’s something we need to look at,” Katrina Pierson told Fox News Channel host Megyn Kelly (who herself was targeted repeatedly by Trump Tuesday night). “We have a lot of reporters who essentially have just been glorified bloggers who aren’t really interested in covering the campaign or even the race for that matter, they’re just out there trying to start trouble.”
Tuesday night, Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger was denied entry to Donald Trump’s news conference, despite having previously been granted credentials by the campaign. The Trump campaign had previously threatened to ban Politico reporters from campaign events.
On Fox News, Kelly asked Pierson about the campaign’s efforts to shield the candidate from reporters whose coverage the campaign does not like. “You understand that there’s a First Amendment, there’s freedom of the press, and you don’t get to snuff that out when you’re the president of the United States, right? Does he understand that?”
“Oh, he definitely understands that,” Pierson said, adding that when in the spin room, Trump “goes down every single lane and talks to every single reporter.” It was, of course, in a spin room where Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields—who resigned Tuesday–says she was forcibly pulled away from Trump by campaign manager Corey Lewandowski when she tried to ask a question.
[h/t Talking Points Memo]