Here’s All the Times Obama Ejected the Media

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Nov 8, 2018

President Donald Trump’s explosive exchange with Jim Acosta, and the subsequent revocation of his White House press credentials, is now the big story. Naturally, CNN and every other liberal rushed to his defense, and claimed Trump’s hostility towards the media is unprecedented. Ironically, these same liberals loved it when Obama showed disrespect to journalists they disagreed with – they’re just unhappy now they’re feeling the same fire.

Obama ejecting journalists all the time

There were numerous occasions in which Obama (and others in his administration) actually ejected journalists from his press conferences – and of course you didn’t hear hysterical screeching about “dictators” and “fascism” and “the free press being under attack.”

For example, here’s a headline from when President Obama was still “candidate Obama.”

And that’s not all! Not long after taking office, the Secret Service literally dragged away a black female reporter. Imagine the optics if an African-American woman were dragged away by Trump’s Secret Service.

In 2009, former White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest bragged about how well the Obama administration excluded Fox News from significant interviews. Trump has made no such effort to silence anyone. He may be hostile to the press – but he’s hostile to them directly, not behind their backs. I’d argue the latter is much worse.

In 2015 Obama ejected a reporter for interrupting him “in my house,” to the cheers of reporters. Ironically, the journalist (who is transgender) was shouting “no more deportations” at the deporter-in-chief.

Can you imagine the liberal headlines (and faux outrage) if Trump ejected a transgender reporter for protesting deportations?

Another time that year the Washington Free Beacon’s Adam Kredo was kicked out of a media briefing with the State Department… even though he didn’t utter a word. They just didn’t want him there.

The media’s coverage of Obama vs. Trump

As you’d expect, the media covered those incidents much differently than they now cover Trump. Here’s a sampling of the headlines after Obama ejected that reporter in 2015:

  • “Obama shuts down reporter: ‘You should know better'” – Politico 
  • “Obama to White House Heckler: ‘You’re in my house!'” – CNN
  • “Watch Obama Toss Out Heckler at LGBT Event: You’re in My House.” – Hollywood Reporter

Unsurprisingly, the commentary about a “war on the press” was lacking. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer showered praise on Obama for how well he handled the situation.

And yet here’s how CNN replied when it was one of their reporters told to shut up (but wasn’t ejected then and there):

Obama relentlessly attacked press freedom and reporters, more than any other President in American history

Again, for as much as Trump criticizes the press, he hasn’t taken actions to obstruct them. The same cannot be said about Obama. Obama’s Justice Department subpoenaed the telephone records of Associated Press journalists,  and surveilled Fox News reporter James Rosen, naming him as a co-conspirator in a leak about North Korea’s nuclear program. A similarly named journalist, the New York Times’ James Risin, was targeted by the Obama administration and forced to testify to reveal a confidential source.

Trump may talk a mean game, but Obama was objectively the most anti-press President in modern history. A historic 77% of Freedom of Information Act requests were denied by his administration (more than any other President), and Obama set another record in prosecuting more journalists under the Espionage Act than any other President.

There is no comparison between the two.

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