White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany accused members of the national press of failing to perform their jobs after she was peppered with questions about President Trump’s demand that governors reopen all places of worship despite the coronavirus lockdowns.
“Many of our journalists are great men and women of faith and differing faiths, whether it be the Jewish faith, the Christian faith, the Muslim faith,” McEnany said Tuesday on Fox News. “What I was saying was, I was asked 11 questions as to why churches would be allowed to reopen. … I’ve never been asked why a liquor store was essential, so I was merely pointing that out.”
McEnany then argued that journalists “are not above being questioned themselves.”
“Journalism is a great and noble profession. But there’s been a dearth of journalists asking the real questions for President Obama, the criminal leak of Michael Flynn’s identity, who leaked that identity, the dossier which was used to launch a three-year investigation into this president and spy on his campaign — why aren’t those questions being asked?” she said.
McEnany said, “It’s journalistic malpractice not to ask those questions … but where is the lack of curiosity from the current press?”
During one of her first briefings with members of the media since being named Trump’s press chief, McEnany responded to a question about her comments downplaying the threat of the coronavirus by throwing the question back in reporters’ faces.
“I guess I would turn the question back on the media and ask similar questions,” she said. “Does Vox want to take back that they proclaimed that the coronavirus would not be a deadly pandemic? Does the Washington Post want to take back that they told Americans to get a grip, the flu is bigger than the coronavirus?”
