Karoline Leavitt is quickly becoming one of the most familiar faces in Washington DC. As the White House Press Secretary, she is often at the podium and sometimes, she is an outspoken individual.
Recently, Karoline Leavitt stood at the podium in front of reporters and said something that took them all by surprise. She was very blunt and it came as a warning that the press needed to pay attention to very carefully.
Leavitt was addressing the decision by the White House to ban the AP from two presidential events. She said in a warning that if the press lies about the Trump administration consequences will soon follow.
One of the primary issues behind this is that AP chose not to call the body of water in the south of the United States the Gulf of America. They continue to call it the Gulf of Mexico, despite the fact that Donald Trump had issued an executive order that it should be renamed.
Leavitt went on to explain that the press was only at the White House because they were invited and it is a privilege, not a right to be there. She then said that no one in the world can simply walk into the Oval Office and ask questions of the president of the United States unless they receive an invite.
She also says that she was upfront with reporters from the beginning. She thought that various outlets that were in the room were pushing lies and therefore, they would be accountable for what they did.
Leavitt was giving the briefing while the Associated Press correspondent was in the room and sitting in the front row seat. After giving the warning to all of the media, she did not allow the reporter to ask any questions.
Later, an AP reporter was not included when journalists went into the Oval Office for another important event. In part, it included the new Director of National Intelligence being sworn in.