Sean Spicer Tells Veteran Journalist April Ryan To “Stop Shaking [Her] Head” After Accusing Her Of Having An “Agenda”
Ryan Responds: “Unfortunately, I Was Roadkill Today” During The Press Briefing
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From the March 28 White House Press Briefing:
APRIL RYAN: With all of these investigations, questions of what is is, how does this administration try to revamp its image two-and-a-half months in? You've got this Yates story today. You've got other things going on. You've got Russia. You've got wiretapping.
SEAN SPICER: No, we don't have that.
[...]
I've said it from the day that I got here until whenever that there is no connection. You've got Russia. If the president puts Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight, somehow that's a Russian connection. But every single person --
[...]
I appreciate your agenda here, but the reality is -- oh, no, no, no, hold on. No, at some point report the facts. The facts are that every single person who has been briefed on this subject has come away with the same conclusion. Republican, Democrat, so I'm sorry that that disgusts you. You're shaking your head. I appreciate it. But understand this. At some point, the facts are what they are. And every single person who has been briefed on this situation with respect to the situation with Russia, Republican, Democrat, Obama-appointee, career [civil servant] have all come to the same conclusion. At some point, April, you're going to have to take no for an answer with respect to whether or not there was collusion.
[...]
It seems like you're hellbent on trying to make sure that whatever image you want to tell about this White House stays. Because at the end of the day --
[...]
You're asking me a question and I'm going to answer it, which is the president. I'm sorry, please stop shaking your head again.
From the March 28 edition of MSNBC Live:
KATY TUR (HOST): April, you had a pretty testy exchange there with Sean Spicer.
[...]
From what I could tell, you were just trying to get the reaction, a very point-blank reaction. There's committee hearings on the Hill claiming that your campaign could have had ties to Russia, the Trump campaign. How do you fix that perception problem. That's the question you were trying to ask, right?
APRIL RYAN: Yeah. Two-and-a-half months and there is a lot swirling about this administration. Two-and-a-half months in. I've been here for 20 years, since 1997, the second term of Bill Clinton. We've never seen anything like this before. And my question was simple. How do you change the perception problem? Basically, I don't know verbatim what I said, but that was the impetus and the crux of my question. And it went off into this Russian dressing, no shaking my head or whatever. But the issue is the issue. What's happening around here, we cover everything presidential. And you cannot ignore, as a reporte, that there are issues on Capitol Hill. You have investigations going. You have the head of the Intel committee coming here to the White House briefing people, the president himself. And there is questions of the fact that this man should step down or improprieties, all other things. And obstruction of justice and other issues related to the Russia investigation. These are real issues that a reporter will ask a White House, be it two-and-a-half months in, be it the first day, be it two years in. So I understand -- I understand what Sean is doing. Sean is being the White House correspondent -- excuse me. Sean is being the White House press secretary talking about and trying to make this administration look better than what it does right now. And, unfortunately, I was roadkill today.
TUR: Yeah, his job is spin. And to be clear, April Ryan, 20-year veteran in that press corps does not have an agenda.
RYAN: Nope.
Previously:
How Sean Spicer Packs His Press Briefings With “Skypeophants”
Spicer Shuts Down Press Briefing Following Questions About His International Incident
Politico Highlights “Disappearing” Sean Spicer’s Retreat From Televised Briefings