“Tell the Truth”: Sidewalk Passers-by Roast CNN as It Throws a Temper Tantrum on the Street about Being Kicked Out of the White House [WATCH]

CNN’s live report about being barred from the White House received some unscripted feedback when a passerby shouted, “Tell the truth,” behind the network’s reporter. Senior White House reporter Betsy Klein was standing near the White House after her press credential was deactivated and confiscated Saturday morning. CNN devoted much of the broadcast to condemning President Donald Trump’s decision and portraying the ban as a sweeping threat to the First Amendment.

The exchange aired Saturday, September 19th, on “CNN Newsroom” with anchor Kasie Hunt. Trump had announced Friday that CNN, MS NOW, and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the outlets of repeatedly publishing “fake news.” Klein arrived for work the following morning and discovered that the administration had followed through on the president’s announcement.

“Just to give you a little bit of context, I have covered the White House for CNN in some capacities since the Obama administration in 2015, first as a producer and now as a reporter,” Klein told Hunt. She carefully described her normal route into the complex, beginning at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Klein said she would ordinarily show her hard pass at an initial Secret Service checkpoint before walking past the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and into the Northwest Gate.

Klein said Saturday’s routine initially appeared normal, although cameras were waiting to record whether she would be permitted to enter. As seen in the video, a military band was also rehearsing “Battle Hymn of the Republic” ahead of an expected Chinese state visit. Klein placed her belongings on the security conveyor belt, tapped her credential on the reader, and entered her four-digit PIN.

“The only difference is that there was a group of cameras waiting outside that gate to watch me walk in,” Klein said. “So, I walk in, I tap my badge, and it beeps a couple of different times. It turns red, blue, and green, and it didn’t accept my PIN number.” A Secret Service officer then asked Klein to hand over the credential and informed her that it had been deactivated.

Klein repeatedly asked why the badge was no longer working, but the officer said he had no additional information and referred her to the White House press office. “I asked if I could have the badge back. He said he would be keeping it,” Klein explained. The officer returned the clear plastic holder and lanyard before Klein collected her belongings and walked back outside to continue reporting from the sidewalk.

Watch the sidewalk report and the unsolicited response from a passerby here:

CNN responded by declaring the action “an illegal assault” on the network’s constitutional rights and promising that it would not be “deflected” from covering the administration. Hunt and CNN media analyst Brian Stelter spent the segment denouncing the decision, with Stelter calling it “a direct threat to press freedom in the United States” and “a blatantly undemocratic action.” A passerby near the live report was less sympathetic, with the off-camera man cutting into the broadcast to tell the network, “Tell the truth.”

Klein said White House staff members had initially appeared unaware of Trump’s announcement and needed time to determine how the ban would be enforced. By Saturday morning, however, CNN’s access had been shut off and Klein’s credential had been taken. MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner and Politico reporter Cheyenne Haslett were also denied entry and had their credentials confiscated after arriving at the White House.

Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.