Althouse: Jim Acosta is "a rude, terrible person" who, when he reports "fake news" is "an enemy of the people"...

November 8, 2018

Jim Acosta is "a rude, terrible person" who, when he reports "fake news" is "an enemy of the people"...

... said Trump at yesterday's news conference, where Jim Acosta, right in front of Trump was very rude and hit a woman:

I watched the press conference yesterday, but not from that angle, where the hitting of the woman is on camera. I got that video from "How CNN’s Jim Acosta became the reporter Trump loves to hate" (WaPo), where the headline suggests something I found myself thinking, that Trump and Acosta are both in control and choosing to do this theater of mutual hate.

And yet the White House has withdrawn Acosta's press credentials.

What do you think of the physical move? It made me think of the time Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was charged with battery for grabbing Michelle Fields (a reporter):

At the time, WaPo ran an article, "Corey Lewandowski lied about Michelle Fields. That should matter to Donald Trump. It won’t."

Quoted at that link, Donald Trump: "Wow, Corey Lewandowski, my campaign manager and a very decent man, was just charged with assaulting a reporter. Look at tapes-nothing there!"

Either both instances of battery matter or neither does. Pick one.

360 comments:

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TestTube said...: The White House press corps is not going to regulate itself. It COULD regulate itself. It certainly DID regulate itself during Obama'a eight years. But now it is degenerating into a circus.

So either Trump takes control, or it degenerates further. To take control, at some point Trump has to draw the line, and Acosta getting handsy with an intern is a pretty good point. Seriously, try something like this at work and see how quickly you get some unpleasant attention from HR. Also, as pointed out by tweeter Zippittt: "Touch a server in a restaurant like Jim did to that intern and see how fast you are tossed on your ass." (H/T ace.mu.nu); 11/8/18, 12:26 PM
Chuck said...: Omaha1 said...
Chuck, just because you have been granted privileges to participate in a White House press conference, does not mean you are entitled to have your questions answered in a manner that pleases you. And when, according to standard protocol, it is time to surrender the microphone, you are not entitled to resist the actions of an intern attempting to take the microphone away from you, whether or not your "resistance" rises to the level of assault. This is a moot point, since the intern immediately sat down rather than continuing the confrontation. Acosta should not have resisted the intern in any way, period.

Thanks. Thanks for confirming what everyone can see, which is that the intern tried to physically take the mic away from an arguably rude and unprofessional Jim Acosta.

And yet; Sarah Sanders in lying when she claims that Acosta "placed his hands on [the intern]" and Althouse is lying when she writes that Acosta "hit her."; 11/8/18, 12:32 PM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: btw- Andrew Sullivan's pal Matthew Yglasias - he's A-OK with the left-wing fascist harassment and violence aimed at Tucker Carlson and his family in their private home.; 11/8/18, 12:35 PM
Darrell said...: Battery is aggressive, intentional physical contact.
Acosta committed battery. It's up to the judge to determine length of sentence.; 11/8/18, 12:35 PM
n.n said...: One assaulted a woman employed to moderate shared time. While the other was defending against an unsolicited encroachment. With the progress of democratic socialists, and other left-wing factions, the recurring violations of civil rights, and outright assaults and violence, there is cause to keep the latter at a distance.; 11/8/18, 12:38 PM
n.n said...: Not just an intern. A feminine female intern. This is not a known social justice zone. She should not be forced to choose between life and a twilight existence.; 11/8/18, 12:41 PM
Marcus said...: I seem to remember that my own Jupiter (FL) police had to investigate the Lewandowski incident (I believe) because Fields or her associates made a complaint AND the local commie rage The Palm Beach Post went all pearl-clutching. It took the local DA's or SA's office with some brain cells to see it didn't amount to a chargeable offense. I am doing this by memory so I might be off on my recollection.

I think the WH would have been better suited suspending him for his behavior in toto rather than specifying the physical contact. While the contact may have been incidental, had Acosta given up the microphone when told by Trump he was done, no contact would have occurred. So it is on him.

THEOLDMAN; 11/8/18, 12:41 PM
Chuck said...: You really don't get it, Full Moon? You keep beating that dead horse.

Greta van Susteren, working for Fox News at the time, said that what was done to Michelle Fields was nothing. It was not a crime, for sure. Never worthy of any sort of prosecution.

That is what set up my comment.

I've never met Greta van Susteren, and I expect I will probably never meet her. I did not plan to do anything to her. I "proposed" a hypothetical stunt, which I expected would (a) offend her and (b) be totally defensible on the basis that it was exactly what she thought was non-actionable in the case of Michelle Fields.; 11/8/18, 12:41 PM
TestTube said...: And for all those who are analyzing this in terms of "was it assault?" "did he/she deserve it?","Was this a curtailment of freedom of the press?","Was this justified?" I have this to say:

Wrong brain lobe, folks. This came from a part of the brain that existed long before we became human.

Two alpha males interacted in a show of aggression to assert dominance. One male provoked the acting leader, testing boundaries and strength. The acting leader responded in a manner to reassert dominance -- easily done, as he is embedded in an institution that provides ample resources for slapping down would-be interlopers. The first male is now trying to drum up support from his tribe to escalate the conflict, but without much success.; 11/8/18, 12:47 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: Redeem my pale white ass, Inga you disgusting old crone. I hope both you and Ginsberg life expectancy is that of a fruit fly.

I see NPChuck has decided that he will pretend like Meade didn't just slap him around. I thought NPChuck might break out h is "Lawrence" routine.

How's that for rude and terrible?; 11/8/18, 12:53 PM
Sheridan said...: Sorry TestTube. Not "two alpha males". The Beta male transgressed the boundary of permissible herd behavior and got his wank slapped by the Alpha. We see this in Elk behavior during rutting season.; 11/8/18, 12:56 PM
Jim at said...: Umm, the aide assaulted Acosta and tried to take his mike. - Freder

It's not his mic, Sparky.; 11/8/18, 12:58 PM
Darrell said...: Freder should counter with "It's the PEOPLES" mic!"

Because he's a Lefty asshole.; 11/8/18, 1:00 PM
eddie willers said...: When you’re a CNN star reporter they let you do it.

Now I see why she married you.; 11/8/18, 1:06 PM
Darrell said...: Michelle Fields set up a stunt with Washington Post reporter Ben Terris, who was working on a piece about the supposed violence surrounding the Trump campaign. You can see the two colluding if you watch the whole security tape. He's the geek in the window-pane checked shirt. They had a WaPo photographer on scene, but he didn't get a shot because Lewandowski sheepdogged Fields, getting her to change direction and look confused. The photog later tried to claim he wasn't even there with Twitter posts (even though he had posted photos on Twitter from the event.); 11/8/18, 1:09 PM
Wince said...: I see Acosta putting his hand on the intern's inner elbow of her outstretched left arm, and then forcing it downward abruptly into a bend.; 11/8/18, 1:10 PM
Jim at said...: We have more proof of Jim Acosta's 'assault' than we ever had with Brett Kavanaugh.

And yet here is the left. Defending it.; 11/8/18, 1:10 PM
Rabel said...: I am immensely disappointed that Professor Althouse has not provided an analysis of this incident based on the fact that the microphone represented a penis.

But beyond that I'm going to take the side of both Acosta and Lewandowski - sometimes you just gotta dot that i.; 11/8/18, 1:25 PM
Ken B said...: I would not charge either. Law and trifles. But I would yank Acosta's pass and I might not reissue it. Not until he publicly apologizes to her.; 11/8/18, 1:25 PM
tim in vermont said...: Is it doctored or does it not show anything?; 11/8/18, 1:26 PM
Matt Sablan said...: "And yet; Sarah Sanders in lying when she claims that Acosta "placed his hands on [the intern]" and Althouse is lying when she writes that Acosta "hit her.""

-- Her arm collapses and she comes off balance when he presses on the inside of her elbow. Sure, he didn't punch her in the face, and it may have been an accident -- but the people trying to pretend he did nothing are ludicrous.; 11/8/18, 1:26 PM
Ken B said...: Rabel
She did not discuss the mic as a penis because — as Meade can tell you — in her mind penises are larger.; 11/8/18, 1:29 PM
tim in vermont said...: Now that RGB is circling the drain, watch these recounts go nuclear.; 11/8/18, 1:29 PM
Matt Sablan said...: As for the mob at Carlson's door: Some day, the mob is going to threaten someone who fights back, and it will end poorly for everyone involved. CNN and every other journalist that pretends antifa is anything but a group of violent people trying to enforce political will through threats and violence are doing a disservice to the country.; 11/8/18, 1:31 PM
Rabel said...: I'm betting the house that underneath his coat, tie and Louis Vuitton dress shirt Acosta is wearing a spaghetti strap white tank top tee.; 11/8/18, 1:33 PM
tim in vermont said...: "Placed his hands" is an expression. Watch the video he tried to brush her away and when he met resistance, he pressed again harder, and if she says he hit her, you could not disprove it with the tape.

#BelieveAllWomen, right?; 11/8/18, 1:33 PM
jeremyabrams said...: The media reaction, focusing on Sarah Sanders' sourcing of a close-up video, is a circle-the-wagons action, and indicates they know this small-to-moderate incident could damage or end his career. #YouToo Acosta.; 11/8/18, 1:34 PM
Matt Sablan said...: His "excuse me ma'am," is also, if you listen, not the polite, "Oh crap, I just pushed someone!" excuse me. It is a sarcastic, get out of my way, excuse me.; 11/8/18, 1:35 PM
Achilles said...: AZ Bob said...

Nice post Althouse. It always comes down to whose ox is being gored.

You can have standards when you are in conflict with decent people.

Democrats are not decent people.

They just elected a child rapist and a man who has beaten multiple women. They knowingly elected a rapist president.

Jim Costa is a piece of shit.

Fuck him.; 11/8/18, 1:42 PM
Chuck said...: tim in vermont said...
"Placed his hands" is an expression. Watch the video he tried to brush her away and when he met resistance, he pressed again harder, and if she says he hit her, you could not disprove it with the tape.

#BelieveAllWomen, right?

No; you can save #BelieveAllWomen for somebody who cares about that. I don't. I don't believe that Christine Blasey Ford was truthful. At least, she was not convincingly truthful in my mind.

The words used by Sarah Huckabee Sanders were an accusation, of wrongdoing, and she should be careful, and not hysterical in her choice of words. Although let's remember that it is all just trashtalk and if Sarah Sanders and the unidentified White House aide were serious (and they assuredly are not), they would have been a lot more careful. Or, a professional investigator or law enforcement officer would have been more careful.; 11/8/18, 1:42 PM
Matt Sablan said...: I think both of these incidents could have been solved with an apology and an agreement to keep their hands and emotions in check; Lewandowski refused because it went from: "He touched/pushed me inappropriately" to full on battery and assault if you listened to what people were saying. I remember hearing the story before watching it thinking he hauled her to the ground and hit her, not... what he really did.

Acosta, at least, the people over selling it still kept it in the realm of the true. He does hit her arm; he does pull her.

Acosta pretending he didn't even touch her is nonsense, and both of them are better off gone for the inability to just apologize over a small scene.; 11/8/18, 1:47 PM
Omaha1 said...: I don't think Jim Acosta "assaulted" the intern, who was just doing her job. But the moment he resisted her action, trying to take the microphone from him, she sat down to avoid further physical confrontation. It does seem as if Acosta was intimidating the young female intern rather than complying with established protocol.#believeallwomen unless they might be conservative.; 11/8/18, 2:08 PM
Drago said...: Self-identified and Loud and Proud Smear Merchant NPChuck: "The words used by Sarah Huckabee Sanders were an accusation, of wrongdoing, and she should be careful, and not hysterical in her choice of words."

That is a very strange admonition from our #StrongCNNDefender, considering, you know, the fact that he (LLR Chuck) professed to being here to smear Trunp.

Strange, but certainly consistent.

So Chuck has that going for him.

Which is nice.; 11/8/18, 2:09 PM
Matt Sablan said...: "She sat down to avoid further physical confrontation."

-- She tries once, where he uses his other hand and waves her away. She tries again, when she gets pulled off balance. Then she looks off camera and backs off. I think someone told her to stop, worried it might escalate.; 11/8/18, 2:11 PM
tim in vermont said...: Come the revolution, Inga and her revolver are going to want to speak with some of you.; 11/8/18, 2:19 PM
Darrell said...: I would have tossed her a can of hair spray and a Bic lighter. A burst of flame in his face would have ended that confrontation in short order.; 11/8/18, 2:20 PM
Ken B said...: Sablan 1:35
Exactly. It's an “I am *using* this microphone “ tone. It is not solicitude.

So many commenters have completely discredited themselves. Whether it was awful or trivial, it clearly HAPPENED. Those denying it are jokes.; 11/8/18, 2:21 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: If it's not an invasion because they're hundreds of miles from our border, then I guess a bullet speeding towards him isn't an attack while it's still hundreds of yards from his head. Hypothetically.; 11/8/18, 2:23 PM
Ken B said...: Binks
Nor is it “putting his hands on her” because it wasn’t his palms.; 11/8/18, 2:24 PM
Chuck said...: ...
Acosta pretending he didn't even touch her is nonsense, and both of them are better off gone for the inability to just apologize over a small scene.

Acosta isn't pretending anything!

It was Corey Lewandowski who "pretended" that he never had any contact with Michelle Fields. And it was that pretending, and not any forceful battery, that was at issue. Wherein clearly Lewandowski WAS pretending something, and Trump was mindlessly backing him up.

Neither of these cases are of any consequence as real battery cases.

But Jim Acosta isn't "pretending" a goddamned thing. He is telling the whole world to look at the video. He said that from the start.

And Althouse's claim that Acosta "hit' the woman is obvious garbage. Look at the video. That woman reached in to grab the mic from Acosta. She initiated the completely trivial physical contact.

And still no answer from Althouse Central Command; nobody needs to decide if Jim Acosta battered the White House aide "because Corey Lewandowski battered Michelle Fields." No; Corey Lewandowski's charge was dropped. There is no charge against Jim Acosta and there never will be. So Althouse's either/or proposition is pointless.

Again I say that in the Lewandowski case, Lewandowski denied ever having been in contact with Michelle Fields. If you want to compare the significant parts of these cases, the Acosta corollary to Lewandowski would be if, prior to anyone seeing the videotape, Acosta had said, "I've never been in the same room with that aide." Acosta never did anything like that. But THAT is the import of what Lewandowski, and by extension Trump, did in the Palm Beach battery matter.; 11/8/18, 2:30 PM
Chuck said...: Achilles said...
AZ Bob said...

Nice post Althouse. It always comes down to whose ox is being gored.

You can have standards when you are in conflict with decent people.

Democrats are not decent people.

They just elected a child rapist and a man who has beaten multiple women. They knowingly elected a rapist president.

Jim Costa is a piece of shit.

Fuck him.

Hey, how is it going in the land of "The Republicans will hold the House and get 60 votes in the Senate"?; 11/8/18, 2:33 PM
Matt Sablan said...: Are we watching the same video Chuck? I'm really asking this, because normally, you're not this off base. Acosta clearly pushes on the woman's arm. You can tell because it is when her arm collapses in and she comes off balance and needs to correct with her legs to keep from falling in.

I'm pretty sure it was an accident because Acosta is a dick and didn't realize he was actually pushing her around, but it is undeniable that he pushed down on her arm. you might even say he hit her arm if you wanted to be concise.; 11/8/18, 2:34 PM
Ken B said...: Chuck
You cannot even write two paragraphs without contradicting yourself. There was no contact BUT she initiated it AND anyway it was trivial. That's incoherent Chuck. It's a W C Fields skit.

YES she reached for the microphone. She was legally entitled to, and entitled to use reasonable force, as she was the agent of the owner of the microphone acting lawfully. And you cannot suggest she used unreasonable force!

YES he used his arm to deflect her. That IS is the hit. It might be trivial — your word — but it’s real and certain.

YES he is pretending because he put up a tweet saying it was a lie he laid hands on her. He is lying. Lying is pretending.; 11/8/18, 2:38 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: aside from #BelieveAllWomen
“The seriousness of the charge mandates that we investigate this.”
Acosta should be suspended indefinitely until this matter can be cleared, and we need to know if he ever 'boofed','boffed' or barfed in high school.
I remember him being the turd in the punchbowl at a party, and arranging a 'train' to gang-rape White House interns with microphones; 11/8/18, 2:41 PM
Ken B said...: Sablan
Chuck is offended anyone can make any equivalence that in any way makes Trump look better. Althouse pointed one out, and Chuck is outraged. So outraged he is blinded. He won’t see a “hit” unless there is a fist and a bruise.; 11/8/18, 2:41 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: Acosta raised his arm to block her, and pushed down on her elbow to push her hand away. Chuck can't see it, nor can any other of the morally blind.; 11/8/18, 2:45 PM
JaimeRoberto said...: Neither one is an assault, but given the times we're in, we need an independent investigator into Acosta's action. We need to ask other women to come forward to establish a pattern of behavior. We need to review his yearbook so we can twist the words written therein to paint him as a rapist.; 11/8/18, 2:46 PM
tim in vermont said...: But 'absolutely nothing aggressive' bespeaks a willful blindness that I find incomprehensible.

After all that has gone on, you find willful blindness by Democrats incomprehensible?

Hey Chuck, Democrats in Broward County need you down there for a recount effort!; 11/8/18, 2:53 PM
Chuck said...: Ken B said...
Chuck
You cannot even write two paragraphs without contradicting yourself. There was no contact BUT she initiated it AND anyway it was trivial. That's incoherent Chuck. It's a W C Fields skit.

YES she reached for the microphone. She was legally entitled to, and entitled to use reasonable force, as she was the agent of the owner of the microphone acting lawfully. And you cannot suggest she used unreasonable force!

YES he used his arm to deflect her. That IS is the hit. It might be trivial — your word — but it’s real and certain.

YES he is pretending because he put up a tweet saying it was a lie he laid hands on her. He is lying. Lying is pretending.

Yes, there was physical contact. I had physical contact with a woman today at 7:45 am in the elevator to my parking garage.

No one in that video "hit" anyone else. Anyone -- including Ann Althouse and ESPECIALLY Ann Althouse -- who claims that Jim Acosta "hit" the woman is crazy and should be embarrassed. Unless you want to engage in a laughable definition of "hit."

Then we return to the White House's treatment of Acosta. They might have gotten away with a claim that Acosta's press badge was being temporarily suspended due to his interruption of the President (who is himself one of the worst interrupters in the English-speaking world) or his monopolizing the President's time and attention.

But Sarah Huckabee Sanders took the "he placed his hands on her" route. Which is just as much garbage as Althouse's claim of "hitting."

Has anyone else in public life in this nation claimed that Jim Acosta "hit" the woman? Not that I am aware. Only Althouse has gone there.; 11/8/18, 2:53 PM
Big Mike said...: Thanks for confirming what everyone can see, which is that the intern tried to physically take the mic away from an arguably rude and unprofessional Jim Acosta.

As she was supposed to do. She was not taking the microphone away because Acosta was rude and obnoxious. She was taking it away because the rules say that he gets one question and then must relinquish the mic for the next questioner. She was doing her job and nothing more.

And yet; Sarah Sanders in lying when she claims that Acosta "placed his hands on [the intern]" and Althouse is lying when she writes that Acosta "hit her."

Unless, of course, YOU are the one lying. Which you do as often as you breathe. Acosta pushes the intern much harder than Lewandowski pushed Fields, and with less provocation.; 11/8/18, 2:56 PM
Ann Althouse said...: I just watched the video about 10 more times. He hits her. His hand knocks into her arm once, and that could arguably be unintentional (within the *intentionally* struggling to keep the mike and stop her from doing her job) but there's a second move that is a hit.; 11/8/18, 3:02 PM
tim in vermont said...: We need to come up with some kind of ridiculous hat for Democrat women to wear, maybe “I stand against her!” or something. Or Hai Karate aftershave themed.; 11/8/18, 3:02 PM
tim in vermont said...: He obviously hits her on the second time. But haven’t you read 1984?

"How many fingers do you see! Pzzapp! Are you sure? Pzzapp!”
“He never touched her! Never!" Pzzapp!
“You said it, but you didn’t believe it!” Pzzzzapppp pop crackle zap.; 11/8/18, 3:05 PM
tim in vermont said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/8/18, 3:07 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: what about pressers done like hockey or soccer-- yellow/red cards, or a penalty box?; 11/8/18, 3:11 PM
Big Mike said...: Come the revolution, Inga and her revolver are going to want to speak with some of you.

Come the revolution I have dibs on Inga.; 11/8/18, 3:12 PM
tim in vermont said...: BTW, it wasn’t his mic as soon as POTUS said “Next..."; 11/8/18, 3:12 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: 2 minutes for 'roughing the intern'

PP for Team Trump; 11/8/18, 3:15 PM
PaoloP said...: Battery? Acosta - who is a moron - barely touched her arm.; 11/8/18, 3:15 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: face-off to the left of the podium...the ref drops the Mic...; 11/8/18, 3:17 PM
Matt Sablan said...: "Acosta - who is a moron - barely touched her arm."

-- Her arm bends and collapses, and if you watch a video where you can see all of her, she stumbles forward. Maybe he's a judo master and can do that while barely touching her, but, I doubt it.; 11/8/18, 3:19 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: he should be charged with 'assault & moon-battery'; 11/8/18, 3:19 PM
Chuck said...: Ann Althouse said...
I just watched the video about 10 more times. He hits her. His hand knocks into her arm once, and that could arguably be unintentional (within the *intentionally* struggling to keep the mike and stop her from doing her job) but there's a second move that is a hit.

The woman reaches over Acosta's left arm with her own left arm, and initiates physical contact with Acosta. Then she reaches with her right arm, underneath Acosta's left arm as he is recoiling from her. But she is after that microphone. And so she places her right hand on top of Acosta's right hand holding the microphone.

LIERALLY, AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE HAS ACCUSED JIM ACOSTA OF "PLACING HIS HANDS ON" THE WOMAN, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE PLACMENT OF A HAND IN THIS CASE IS HER HAND, ON TOP OF ACOSTA'S HAND. LOOK AT IT ANOTHER 10 TIMES, ALTHOUSE, AND CONFIRM FOR ME THAT SHE PLACES HER HAND ON TOP OF ACOSTA'S HAND HOLDING THE MIC.

And really, I just want to say this for what it is worth: I find it so disgusting and silly that Sarah Huckabee Sanders went into full victimology mode and made it an issue of a "man" making physical contact with a "woman." Althouse pulled the same rhetorical stunt here; Acosta "hit a woman." "Hit a woman" in italics. What does gender have to do with this? Would it have been a "hit" if the intern had been a man? Why or why not? Would it have been a "hit" if instead of Jim Acosta, the reporter had been April Ryan? Why or why not? Where does the meme of "man hitting woman" come into play here? Why?

I'll tell you; it's purely for the sake of gender-identity politicking and Althouse should be called out on it just like Sarah Huckabee Sanders should be as well.; 11/8/18, 3:22 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Sanders should throw a freshly-baked home-made pecan pie in Acosta's face; 11/8/18, 3:27 PM
Original Mike said...: ”Sanders should throw a freshly-baked home-made pecan pie in Acosta's face”

I would pay good money to watch that.; 11/8/18, 3:33 PM
Original Mike said...: I think it depends on your view of the meaning of the word “hit”. And I’m not trying to be funny. Not enough force to be a “hit”, IMHO. I think “placing his hands on her”, (is that what the WH called it?) is a good description. In any case, it was completely inappropriate behavior on Acosta’s part.; 11/8/18, 3:39 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: then we need to bring back the instant replay at these things.
Will the press corp burn a time-out for a challenge?

"Upon further review, the ruling on the field stands. Fist down, Trump"; 11/8/18, 3:39 PM
Ken B said...: Wow Chuck. You realize that she is legally entitled to take the microphone, don’t you?

Seriously, do you realize that she is lawfully entitled to take the microphone? This is a real question.; 11/8/18, 3:40 PM
tim in vermont said...: This is how the dreamy Prime Minister of Canada does it (YouTube); 11/8/18, 3:42 PM
Ken B said...: Chuck's contention seems to be that the intern used unreasonable force on Acosta. That is logically the only way to read his comment justifying the forceful contact Acosta made (that Chuck previously denied he made). He as defending himself!; 11/8/18, 3:44 PM
tim in vermont said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/8/18, 3:45 PM
Ken B said...: Tim
I thought of posting 5hat! He didn’t lay a hand on her!
He had to apologize.; 11/8/18, 3:46 PM
tim in vermont said...: Video of the incident from an alternate angle proves it was self defense by Accoster.; 11/8/18, 3:46 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Zapruder gonna be jealous how we go over this one frame-by-frame; 11/8/18, 3:47 PM
rcocean said...: The bottom line is that Acosta was going to keep that mic, and was willing to use as much physical force as needed to keep it.

Its too bad the intern was such a coward. She should have struggled for the mic, instead of pouting, giving up, and sitting down.

Had she put up a fight, it would've made Acosta look 10x worse. Hell, maybe he would've slugged her.

Ruth Ginsberg would've fought for the mic, even with a broken rib!; 11/8/18, 3:51 PM
tim in vermont said...: We have yet another angle that exonerates Accoster; 11/8/18, 3:54 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: He definitely blocked her arm, pushed it down, and resisted her effort to pull away the microphone. None of it rises to the level of assault or battery, but it was very disrespectful to a woman doing her duty, and disrespectful to Trump, to the other reporters whose time he was wasting, and to the American people who would rather listen to an intelligent question,; 11/8/18, 3:56 PM
readering said...: She tried to grab it from him without saying anything. Manners?; 11/8/18, 3:57 PM
rcocean said...: BTW, Lewondowski got charged "with assault" for touching Michelle Fields.

So whatever happened to that?; 11/8/18, 3:57 PM
Original Mike said...: I do think it would be good stagecraft on the part of the WH to change the microphone attendant to a 6’6” bouncer type in the future. It would be a constant visual reminder of Acosta’s boorish behavior.; 11/8/18, 3:58 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: there were reports earlier of 2 mysterious CNN reporters on a grassy knoll nearby; 11/8/18, 3:59 PM
rcocean said...: And why isn't the intern charging Acosta with Assault?

Or is this another, wimpy Republican "lets take the high road, so we can feel good about ourselves" decision?; 11/8/18, 3:59 PM
rcocean said...: I say charge him with Assault, and let CNN pay for his defense.; 11/8/18, 4:00 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: "give me the microphone"

What's the Magic Word??

"NOW !"; 11/8/18, 4:01 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: "She tried to grab it from him without saying anything. Manners?"

She's not supposed to say anything. Only the reporters and Trump are supposed to talk.; 11/8/18, 4:01 PM
Ken B said...: Rcocean
Better question. CNN says it never happened. Why don’t they ask her, on camera? Why doesn’t Acosta ask her, on camera?; 11/8/18, 4:01 PM
Ken B said...: Is readering serious?; 11/8/18, 4:03 PM
Bob Boyd said...: If it was just an accidental touch why did Acosta yell, "HiYAA!" when he brought the edge of hand down?; 11/8/18, 4:04 PM
Darrell said...: So whatever happened to that?

The Florida prosecutors decided that the tape(s) were inconclusive as far as criminal charges go. Plus they specifically mentioned that a case could be made that Lewandowski was just doing his job--as Secret Service had already escorted her from the area around Trump and she snuck (sneaked) back.; 11/8/18, 4:05 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: joking aside-- watch out for Acosta-- he has a black belt in press briefings; 11/8/18, 4:08 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Acosta's first name is Abilio. I Googled it. Apparently it means Etymology in Portuguese or something. Not sure if that sheds any light on this press room incident.; 11/8/18, 4:10 PM
jim said...: Bob Boyd said...
If it was just an accidental touch why did Acosta yell, "HiYAA!" when he brought the edge of hand down?

Yea.

But seriously, Lewandowski grabbed a woman from behind, I guess because she was bugging Trump, not much of a gentleman.

Acosta brushed off a woman who was try the grab something from his hands. I guess he should have given it up politely, but politeness seems to be out of style in the White House.

And what the hell is this what-about some loony assholes storming another loony asshole's house. Isn't that just what they do, anyway lock'em up.; 11/8/18, 4:12 PM
Darrell said...: So whatever happened to that?

And Chuck cried for a half-hour afterward. And kicked his dog.
Fuckhead.; 11/8/18, 4:13 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Whodunwuttawhoski?; 11/8/18, 4:17 PM
Unknown said...: > perhaps the press should not even bother to cover this president any more

Ho ho, tell me does it rain chocolate in your fantasyland?; 11/8/18, 4:18 PM
FullMoon said...: What a lying asshole.

CHUCK NOW (One of many threats) : Blogger Chuck said...

You really don't get it, Full Moon? You keep beating that dead horse.

Greta van Susteren, working for Fox News at the time, said that what was done to Michelle Fields was nothing. It was not a crime, for sure. Never worthy of any sort of prosecution.

That is what set up my comment.

I've never met Greta van Susteren, and I expect I will probably never meet her. I did not plan to do anything to her. I "proposed" a hypothetical stunt, which I expected would (a) offend her and (b) be totally defensible on the basis that it was exactly what she thought was non-actionable in the case of Michelle Fields.

11/8/18, 12:41 PM

CHUCK THEN
Blogger Chuck said...

Michael I am not the slightest bit concerned about Michelle Fields or her victimhood status. I am interested in showing what shameless fuckheads are inside the Trump campaign.

I am also quite interested (at 6' and 190 lbs.) in performing the exact same move on Greta Van Susteren, to see how harmless she thinks it is. She could never make a credible claim for prosecution.

4/14/16, 4:41 PM; 11/8/18, 4:21 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: too bad the SNL skit will have poor Jimmy brutalized by Trump's WWE bouncers.
Sad.; 11/8/18, 4:21 PM
readering said...: She's supposed to stand there while the reporter hands it to her. Yeah, I'm serious.; 11/8/18, 4:28 PM
Darrell said...: Chuck bleated: I am also quite interested (at 6' and 190 lbs.) in performing the exact same move on Greta Van Susteren, to see how harmless she thinks it is. She could never make a credible claim for prosecution.

And if she put three center-mass into you, I would vote to acquit in 2.3 milliseconds.; 11/8/18, 4:28 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Acosta is the Louis CK of the microphone. He doesn't want anybody else to touch it.; 11/8/18, 4:29 PM
Ken B said...: See readering, that is so stupid I don’t believe you mean it, you must be being sarcastic. It’s too stupid to be credible. I don’t believe you are that stupid.
Prove me wrong, as they say.; 11/8/18, 4:33 PM
Ken B said...: Bob Boyd FTW; 11/8/18, 4:34 PM
Meade said...: Blogger Chuck said...

"You really don't get it, Full Moon? You keep beating that dead horse."

A blatant lie. Full Moon never "beat" that horse. The horse isn't even dead. Yes, the horse was spirited, so he used a snaffle bit, the bit hit the horse's teeth, and, yes, he should have been more careful. But Chuck needs to stop lying about the whole thing.; 11/8/18, 4:35 PM
Chuck said...: rcocean said...
BTW, Lewondowski got charged "with assault" for touching Michelle Fields.

So whatever happened to that?

It's Lewandowski, with an "a."

He was not charged with "assault." He was charged with Misdemeanor Battery.

The criminal citation was dismissed about a two weeks later after the West Palm Beach prosecutor investigated further and decided not to prosecute.

Which I already mentioned earlier on the first page of comments.; 11/8/18, 4:35 PM
Bob Boyd said...: I Googled FTW. Apparently it means Etymology too. Weird.; 11/8/18, 4:36 PM
Bob Boyd said...: I Googled Etymology. You know what it said it means? Etymology. Fucking stupid. How does that help anyone?; 11/8/18, 4:39 PM
Chuck said...: Meade said...
Blogger Chuck said...

"You really don't get it, Full Moon? You keep beating that dead horse."

A blatant lie. Full Moon never "beat" that horse. The horse isn't even dead. Yes, the horse was spirited, so he used a snaffle bit, the bit hit the horse's teeth, and, yes, he should have been more careful. But Chuck needs to stop lying about the whole thing.

Laurence, I regard you as someone who does not take lightly, or kindly to, charges of being a "liar." Whether it is the Regent Neighborhood Listserv, or something like a webpage related to the Isthmus or some such thing, if someone called you a liar on an internet page in the midst of a civics debate, you wouldn't like it.

I don't like it either. And I'm giving you the chance, straight-up and without invective, to please say what it is you think I am "lying about."; 11/8/18, 4:40 PM
Jim at said...: And what the hell is this what-about some loony assholes storming another loony asshole's house.

So, Tucker Carlson is a loony asshole? His wife - hiding in the closet calling 9/11 - is also a looney asshole?

If a bunch of violent leftists come to my house and make my wife hide and call the cops, there will be dead bodies all over my yard.

And I won't care. I'll do my time gladly.

This shit has stop, and so does blaming both sides as if the actions are equal.

You people want war? You shall have war.; 11/8/18, 4:41 PM
readering said...: Ken B
As they say.; 11/8/18, 4:43 PM
GRW3 said...: No, they're not the same. Corey moved to protect his candidate from a grabby reporter. Acosta pushed away an intern doing her job so he could hog the microphone. What if the President started enforcing decorum during press conferences. Refuse to give up the microphone? Be shown the door. Start shouting questions when it's somebody else's turn? Be shown the door.; 11/8/18, 4:44 PM
Ken B said...: Chuck
You just doubled down on stupid. Meade mocked your fussing about the set phrase “lay hands upon” by treating your use of the set phrase “beat a dead horse” in the same manner.; 11/8/18, 4:44 PM
Omaha1 said...: Hey Chuck it is possible to think that Corey Lewandowski was wrong and that Jim Acosta was also wrong. Believe it or not! Neither case constitutes "assault" in my opinion. However, it does appear that the White House intern was intimidated, since she immediately retreated and sat down after Jim Acosta resisted her attempt to take the microphone away from him. Is it OK with you for a male reporter to intimidate a young woman who is just trying to do her job, enforcing basic protocol for White House press conferences?; 11/8/18, 4:46 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/8/18, 4:48 PM
FullMoon said...: Blogger Chuck said...

"You really don't get it, Full Moon? You keep beating that dead horse."

I am kind to animals and women and have never beat other, whether dead, alive or otherwise.
Furthermore, have never fantasized about assaulting a woman, unlike you, Chuck.; 11/8/18, 4:49 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: ok enuf!!
Prison visitation-booth style Plexiglas installed in the Press Room like an Harlem bodega.; 11/8/18, 4:55 PM
Chuck said...: GRW3 said...
No, they're not the same. Corey moved to protect his candidate from a grabby reporter...

Bullshit!

The President, that night in West Palm Beach at his own club, was surrounded by Secret Service. If Michelle Fields was a threat to the candidate's space, what the hell were the secret service agents doing? Lewandowski wasn't "protecting" the candidate. Lewandowski was shutting a reporter down and showing her who was boss, physically. Because he didn't like her questions. (Which were really good questions, by the way; they were about Trump's criticisms of Justice Scalia following the oral argument in an affirmative action case. Naturally, Trump was parroting some vague nonsensical criticism he had heard on television, and failed to understand what Scalia was doing in that oral argument.)

...Acosta pushed away an intern doing her job so he could hog the microphone. What if the President started enforcing decorum during press conferences. Refuse to give up the microphone? Be shown the door. Start shouting questions when it's somebody else's turn? Be shown the door.

Acosta was doing his job. Say what you want about however you feel White House reporters should behave. Doesn't matter. The fact is, the justification for Acosta's press badge being suspended is that he "placed his hands on" that aide. But he didn't. She placed her hand, on his hand holding the microphone. And he pulled away from her, so he could keep talking on the microphone.

And Althouse says he "hit" her. That is garbage. Laughable garbage, really.; 11/8/18, 4:55 PM
bagoh20 said...: The video clearly shows him forcing her arm down, but that is not why he deserves to be banned. That was just one part of an incredibly rude, selfish, display that has no place in a Presidential press conference. If he's not banned, then the message is clear that you just refuse to give up the mic, and you get to have your own interview with the President while your colleagues sit and watch you make it all about you and your news organization. How is that supposed to work once everyone starts doing it?

I can't believe there are even two sides to this. You wouldn't let your kid do that to his friends, let alone to the President of the United States. If you can't respect that venue, the office, or your colleagues then of course you don't get to come back and do it again.; 11/8/18, 4:58 PM
Chuck said...: Omaha1 said...
Hey Chuck it is possible to think that Corey Lewandowski was wrong and that Jim Acosta was also wrong. Believe it or not! Neither case constitutes "assault" in my opinion. However, it does appear that the White House intern was intimidated, since she immediately retreated and sat down after Jim Acosta resisted her attempt to take the microphone away from him. Is it OK with you for a male reporter to intimidate a young woman who is just trying to do her job, enforcing basic protocol for White House press conferences?

It is "battery" in these cases. Not much assault. And both cases are embarrassingly bad, as prosecutable crimes. The Lewandowski case was an arguable battery, with the victim claiming a bruise. And with the accused having lied about it.

But I never cared all that much about prosecuting Lewandowski. What I cared about was Lewandowski lying about it. And Trump echoing Lewandowski's lie.

Jim Acosta is saying to the world, that his actions are all clear on the video recording. Jim Acosta is not lying. He did not "place his hands" on the woman who was trying to take a microphone away from a network reporter in the midst of his questioning the President of the United States on live national television. And he did not "hit" her.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is lying when she claims that Acosta "placed his hands on" the aide.

And Ann Althouse is lying when she claims that Jim Acosta "hit" her.; 11/8/18, 5:03 PM
bagoh20 said...: If Acosta was just doing his job then what were all the other reporters there doing, and all the reporters over the years who knew when to give up the mic and give the rest of the press a chance to question the President? The job does not include or require being an ass like that. His job and the press conference exists to get information from the President. He only hampered that by asking the same stupid questions he has for 2 years without stopping when asked to. He robbed the public of what he is there to produce, and he robbed his colleges of the opportunity to do it right.; 11/8/18, 5:12 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: if shooting Scalise, the bicycle lock beat-down, Antifa Antics, Ellison's beat down of his GF, etc are dismissed,
then this also is no 'big fukkin' deal'; 11/8/18, 5:17 PM
bagoh20 said...: "Sarah Huckabee Sanders is lying when she claims that Acosta "placed his hands on" the aide.

And Ann Althouse is lying when she claims that Jim Acosta "hit" her."

The first is absolutely true the second is hyperbole.

Lying in service of claiming someone else is lying is lame.; 11/8/18, 5:18 PM
Darrell said...: Chuck corrected text--

Jim Acosta is saying to the world, that his actions are all clear on the video recording. Jim Acosta is lying when he says he didn't touch her. He tries to play word games (like the definition of "is) when he says he did not "place his hands" on the woman who was trying to take a microphone away from a network reporter in the midst of his questioning the President of the United States on live national television. Hands. Fingers. Part of the hand. And he says he did not "hit" her, because he defines "hit" in some non-standard way.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not lying when she claims that Acosta "placed his hands on" the aide.

And Ann Althouse is not lying when she claims that Jim Acosta "hit" her.

And Chuck is a liar and an asshole.; 11/8/18, 5:20 PM
Darrell said...: Michelle Fields showed a bruise above her wrist. Lewandowski touched her on the shoulder. You decide.

(Florida prosecutors already did.); 11/8/18, 5:24 PM
Browndog said...: I see some are still levitating between 'he did nothing wrong' and 'I think a 20 years sentence for attempted murder is a bit much'.

Let me try this one more time-

Acosta deliberately used his hand in what cannot be described as anything but a striking motion (subtle, no intent to injure...nonetheless) to physically restrain a woman from retrieving the microphone she was ordered to retrieve by the President during a live broadcast.; 11/8/18, 5:25 PM
bagoh20 said...: Acosta's "questions" were not even designed to inform the public. They were designed attack the President and get the spotlight for himself.

"Are you worried about the Russia investigation?" Really? That's supposed to get an answer that tells us something import or newsworthy? It was essentially rhetorical, and just a "look at me" attempt. "Just doing his job" - Bullshit.; 11/8/18, 5:29 PM
Achilles said...: Jim Acosta is a piece of shit.

Of course Craig is defending him.; 11/8/18, 5:32 PM
n.n said...: Acosta didn't respect a woman's authority. Fields did not respect a man's... men's authority.; 11/8/18, 5:32 PM
Omaha1 said...: Chuck, are you saying it is OK for Jim Acosta to intimidate a White House intern?; 11/8/18, 5:32 PM
jim said...: Jim at said...

This shit has stop, and so does blaming both sides as if the actions are equal.

You people want war? You shall have war.

I still don't know what it has to do with the White House, or why you are issuing threats. Me calling Carlson an asshole is a declaration of war on you? Get a grip.; 11/8/18, 5:36 PM
Original Mike said...: Blogger Omaha1 said...”Chuck, are you saying it is OK for Jim Acosta to intimidate a White House intern?”

It was Trump’s White House intern. So yeah, it’s OK.; 11/8/18, 5:57 PM
TestTube said...: Sheridan,

Yes, I guess I agree with you. Acosta is a beta that made a prolonged and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to alpha up, and is now trying to get his little sub-group to back him up.

It doesn't really matter who grabbed who or who touched who where. The reigning alpha decided the beta had crossed the line, and reasserted dominance. Of course, the beta's aggression towards a female member of the pack was a reckless gesture, which could not easily go unanswered by the alpha.

I doubt that any of the beta's subgroup is going to do anything except make noise. The beta may make a submission gesture to regain access to the alpha, or may put some space between himself and the alpha, performing symbolic displays of aggression, to prevent further loss of status among his sub-group.

The beta is so outclassed by the alpha that there is no real way to meaningfully continue the challenge for dominance. The beta's subgroup will split between those who desert to rejoin the alpha (the majority), and those who split from the herd to follow the beta, establishing his own lesser pack.; 11/8/18, 6:30 PM
Gk1 said...: I'm trying to decide if Acosta is playing the Iron Baron or the Arab Sheik in WWF wrestling. If you were trying to caste a preening, smug, media asshole could you do better than Acosta? I am beginning to think the whole thing is staged because the relationship is so symbiotic. You have a struggling news gathering apparatus on the verge of implosion and illreverancy and a extroverted narcissist as president. They both need each other deeply, apparently.; 11/8/18, 6:34 PM
Original Mike said...: I just saw Acosta claim he didn’t touch her. WTF? There’s video!; 11/8/18, 6:35 PM
tim in vermont said...: Acosta does resemble the Hai Karate guy.; 11/8/18, 6:38 PM
Stanley Diamond said...: BS, Ms. Althouse. There were NOT two instances of battery. There was one instance that technically was battery, though Lewandowski wasn't trying to harm Ms. Fields. There was an instance where Acosta did nothing, but a -- forgive the pun -- Trumped up charge of battery made it into your consciousness. You're guilty of egregious both-siderism.; 11/8/18, 6:53 PM
chickelit said...: @Tim: That video clip looked like a young Inga trying to subdue Ron Jeremey.; 11/8/18, 6:54 PM
Ken B said...: Original Mike
Yup. CNN denied it too. They posted video, from a slightly different angle. You can see it in their video too, but it’s clearer in the bit Ann posted.
I see commenters like Chuck on other sites, denying there was contact.; 11/8/18, 7:02 PM
stevew said...: The only bad guy in this is Acosta, from start to finish, whether he actually touched the intern or not.; 11/8/18, 7:12 PM
Drago said...: Omaha1: "Chuck, are you saying it is OK for Jim Acosta to intimidate a White House intern?"

Chuck's only regret is that he couldn't be at the White House smacking around female staffers and children.; 11/8/18, 7:19 PM
chickelit said...: Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...”too bad the SNL skit will have poor Jimmy brutalized by Trump's WWE bouncers.
Sad.”

I’ll go a step further. Alec Baldwin will play Trump and will overplay the President’s anger. This of course will not remind anyone of Baldwin in real life. It’s not funny when it’s so predictable.; 11/8/18, 7:22 PM
stevew said...: Right on Bagoh20.

Acosta: Okay. Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to challenge you on one of the statements that you made in the tail end of the campaign in the midterms, that this... Well, if you don’t mind, Mr. President, As you know, Mr. President, the caravan was not an invasion. It’s a group of migrants moving up from Central America towards the border with the U.S.

Questions, yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.; 11/8/18, 7:24 PM
chickelit said...: Jim Harvey wrote: “I still don't know what it has to do with the White House, or why you are issuing threats. Me calling Carlson an asshole is a declaration of war on you? Get a grip.”

Do you know Carlson?

I didn’t think so. You are an asshole too, Harvey. I love your rules.; 11/8/18, 7:25 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: In DC law, there is no crime called battery, but I'd say Acosta committed simple assault. He put his hand on her purposely without her consent. It wasn't a serious crime, but it was no accidental or incidental contact; he did it to use force to keep her from doing her job of taking the mic from him. He should be arrested and charged.; 11/8/18, 7:26 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Laurence, I regard you as someone who does not take lightly, or kindly to, charges of being a "liar." Whether it is the Regent Neighborhood Listserv, or something like a webpage related to the Isthmus or some such thing, if someone called you a liar on an internet page in the midst of a civics debate, you wouldn't like it.

Meade, Chuck can't seem to forget, or to let you forget, that HE KNOWS WHERE YOU LIVE! Watch out for baseballs in your yard and fingers in your salad. A boiled Zeus on your stove is not out of the question.

And remember, if Althouse is really blind, she won't do well at shooting him, so you need to step up. AllenS will lend you a piece if you need it. And if you will know where and when, sufficiently ahead of time, I'll move up there and get myself on your jury.

Okay, my juridical activism is improbable, but the rest is quite true. That man, it f man he be, is a threat to the two of you. Act accordingly.; 11/8/18, 7:31 PM
chickelit said...: Jim Acosta probably thought he was “speaking truth to power.” Instead he was making the news about him.; 11/8/18, 7:31 PM
Darrell said...: I call Acosta "Beato" now.
It's an apt nickname.; 11/8/18, 7:52 PM
Ken B said...: Chuck
Did he *block* her? I think he clearly used his left arm and hand to block her arm. At the end of the blocking motion was an impact. His hand came into contact with her, whilst moving under his volition.
That's what a hit is. Althouse didn’t say strike or punch, just the vaguer, more general and inclusive word hit.; 11/8/18, 7:55 PM
Darrell said...: Who cares what Chuck thinks?
He will make a case against anyone who doesn't agree with him that Trump is evil, stupid, dishonest, and crude. Every negative thing that man can dream of. He will argue against any positive statement about Trump. It's become a mental issue.; 11/8/18, 8:04 PM
Big Mike said...: It's become a mental issue.

What do you mean “become”?; 11/8/18, 8:14 PM
Chuck said...: Bad Lieutenant said...
Laurence, I regard you as someone who does not take lightly, or kindly to, charges of being a "liar." Whether it is the Regent Neighborhood Listserv, or something like a webpage related to the Isthmus or some such thing, if someone called you a liar on an internet page in the midst of a civics debate, you wouldn't like it.

Meade, Chuck can't seem to forget, or to let you forget, that HE KNOWS WHERE YOU LIVE! Watch out for baseballs in your yard and fingers in your salad. A boiled Zeus on your stove is not out of the question.

And remember, if Althouse is really blind, she won't do well at shooting him, so you need to step up. AllenS will lend you a piece if you need it. And if you will know where and when, sufficiently ahead of time, I'll move up there and get myself on your jury.

Okay, my juridical activism is improbable, but the rest is quite true. That man, it f man he be, is a threat to the two of you. Act accordingly.

LOL. Given that I am not even in the State of Wisconsin, and Lake Michigan divides us, if Althouse or Meade were going to shoot me (and I have no more fear of that than they have of me shooting them), they would need something like a short-range ballistic missile.; 11/8/18, 8:30 PM
Original Mike said...: ”LOL. Given that I am not even in the State of Wisconsin, and Lake Michigan divides us,...”

Which would be relevant if it were still the 18th century.; 11/8/18, 8:49 PM
FIDO said...: Acosta is not behaving like a professional. He is not sharing. He is not the person anyone wants to see.

If CNN cannot find a person who can act professionally, they should definitely lose all their White House Access.

It is not like we don't have (takes deep breath) ABC, CBS, NBC, C-SPAN, PBS, MSNBC, FOX, Univision, BBC, AP, Getty, the NYT, WaPo, about 15 European reporters ALL covering the exact same conference and can (GASP) share and ask ACTUAL QUESTIONS.

So is CNN necessary? They weren't for the first 40 years of television news. They aren't now either.

CNN should apologize and give him a different gig. If they won't, they don't really care about their WH access, do they?; 11/8/18, 9:21 PM
FIDO said...: I would not charge either. Law and trifles. But I would yank Acosta's pass and I might not reissue it. Not until he publicly apologizes to her.

So...never.; 11/8/18, 9:25 PM
FIDO said...: This is exactly opposite. If the PRESS decided that what happened to Fields was assault, than they must hold that what Acosta did to the intern was ALSO assault or be as blatantly and baldly hypocritical as Chuck.

But that kind of hypocrisy never bothered them (or Chuck) before. Now we are not letting it pass, however.; 11/8/18, 9:32 PM
walter said...: Trump should give Acosta an award, a trophy.
An emblematic press figure atop..; 11/8/18, 10:18 PM
Rosa Marie Yoder said...: One has to wonder what Acosta would have done if the intern had continued to hold onto the mike instead of retreating. I'm quite certain that he would have forcefully continued the confrontation to the degree that the "assault or not assault" question would be moot. Too bad she didn't stand her ground.; 11/9/18, 6:54 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: LOL. Given that I am not even in the State of Wisconsin, and Lake Michigan divides us, if Althouse or Meade were going to shoot me (and I have no more fear of that than they have of me shooting them), they would need something like a short-range ballistic missile.

I beg your pardon, Chuck, I am sincerely sorry.

I had foolishly presumed that you were mentally and financially capable of operating a motor vehicle, a bus schedule, a ride-sharing app, or other means of transportation, and that you were free to leave your house.

Nothing would make more sense than that you were under house arrest with an ankle monitor, or in a minimum security prison with internet privileges. Or in an asylum, that's even more logical.

But that prompts the question of how you pay the delivery boy who brings you your alcohol, as they don't let you have money in jail or the crazy house. Fellatio?; 11/9/18, 7:06 AM
Jim S. said...: I say they're both battery. I thought Corey Lewandowski committed assault and that Jim Acosta committed assault.; 11/9/18, 8:14 PM
Chuck said...: So here is a late comment on an old post.

CNN has sued, claiming that the suspension of Jim Acosta’s press pass is some sort of violation of the First Amendment. I am not all that convinced that it is a meritorious case. But what is much more clear is that in its responsive pleadings on the issue, the White House — with every reason to say so if it were true — is NOT claiming that Acosta hit anyone. The White House isn’t even relying on any countering claim (as with the first Sarah Sanders press release) that Acosta “placed his hands on” her .

Althouse there is virtually no one in mainstream American life who thinks that Jim Acosta “hit a woman.”; 11/15/18, 7:37 AM
Meade said...: Chuck, there is virtually no honest person anywhere who thinks that Jim Acosta's hand did not hit the (woman) intern's arm when Acosta rudely attempted to maintain possession of the microphone.; 11/15/18, 11:50 AM