Sheldon
Whitehouse condemns Trump administration’s escalating attacks on the media
Following the Trump administration’s
decision to ban CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins from a press
event after she questioned President Donald
Trump on his relationship with his former attorney Michael Cohen, United States
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat,
Rhode Island) joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, Connecticut) and
eight other senators to introduce a resolution condemning the White House’s
attempts to restrict media access and affirming the importance of a free and
unfettered press.
Vice President Mike Pence defended the
widely denounced decision as President Trump lambasted journalists on Twitter, calling the media
“unpatriotic” and accusing reporters of putting lives at risk.
“Speaking truth to power is what our
Founding Fathers had in mind when they enshrined freedom of the press in our
Constitution,” said Whitehouse.
“That’s why bashing journalists for
doing their job and obstructing their work is an insult to American democracy.
I’m proud to join my colleagues in taking a stand against these strong-man
tactics.”
President Trump has frequently
attacked the press, describing mainstream media outlets as “a stain on
America,” “trying to take away our history and our heritage,” and “the enemy of
the American People.”
At the end of April, the watchdog
organization Reporters Without
Borders dropped the United
States by two places in its annual World
Press Freedom Index.
Four days later, President Trump
called the White House press corps “a bunch of fake news liberals who hate me.”
Later that month, 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl reported that
President Trump explained his attacks on the press by saying, “I do it to
discredit you all and demean you all so that when you write negative stories
about me no one will believe you.”
The resolution is supported by
the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), American Society of Journalists and
Authors, Author’s Guild, Committee to Protect Journalists, Demand Progress Action, National Coalition Against Censorship, PEN American, Protect Democracy and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the
Press.
“Any attacks against the press are
attacks on our constitutional democracy itself and we won’t stand for it,”
said Faiz Shakir, ACLU National
Political Director.
The full text of the resolution is
below.
Whereas the President
repeatedly refers to reputable journalists and multiple media organizations as
“fake news”;
Whereas the President has
characterized these organizations as “a stain on America”;
Whereas the President has
characterized these organizations as “the real enemy of the people” while
simultaneously characterizing his summit with Russian President Vladimir
Putin as “a great success”;
Whereas the President has
threatened media organizations such as CNN and the Washington
Post with antitrust actions while ignoring antitrust concerns with
news organizations that provide him favorable coverage;
Whereas on July 25, 2016, the
White House singled out CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins and
barred her from attending an event at the White House Rose Garden;
Whereas Ms Collins asked
President Trump questions regarding his former attorney Michael Cohen and
Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he did not answer, at the White House
press pool earlier in the day;
Whereas the White House alleged
that Ms Collins’ questions were inappropriate for the venue;
Whereas the White House’s
justification for removing Ms Collins is clearly a pretext for the real reason
she was removed – her questions were uncomfortable for the President, who
didn’t like the questions she asked;
Whereas the President has
threatened to take away the White House press credentials of journalists whose coverage
he does not like;
Whereas the decision to bar a
member of the press from the White House for the questions they ask is
retaliatory in nature, violates the spirit of the First Amendment,
and not indicative of an open and free press;
Whereas a free and unfettered
press is the cornerstone of our democracy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate–
(1) condemns the decision by
President Donald Trump and the White House to bar Kaitlan Collins from the
White House;
(2) condemns the escalating
attacks by President Trump on reputable journalists and news organizations as
“fake news,” “a stain on America,” and “the real enemy of the people”;
(3) affirms that it is
necessary and appropriate for reporters to ask questions of powerful government
officials, including the President of the United States, in order
to hold these officials accountable to the people of the United States;
(4) affirms that reporters and
journalists must be able to feel free to do their duty without fear of reprisal
from the Government.
