‘I’m Done!’: Anarchy During White House Presser as Journos Shout Questions at Fauci
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Chaos erupted in the White House briefing room on Tuesday after a journalist shouted a question out of order.
Tuesday was the last White House COVID-19 briefing by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and top pandemic adviser to the Biden administration. While Fauci had some solemn reflections about his time in the position and made an appeal for more Americans to get the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters ahead of an anticipated winter outbreak, a few reporters had other plans.
While the exact question that New York Post reporter Steven Nelson asked of Fauci was unclear, according to reports, he wanted to know what Fauci had personally done to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another journalist, Daily Caller correspondent Diana Glebova, claimed on Twitter to have asked the same question.
Kringe Jean Pierre rattles and shakes during utter MELTDOWN after reporter presses Fauci on origins of COVID:
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 22, 2022
"I'M DONE!" pic.twitter.com/w2de1o80Pk
“I always come with honest answers that Americans want to know,” Glebova said. “That's why the White House refuses to call on me, and then calls ME 'disrespectful.'"
However, as multiple people shouted questions at the medical professional, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stepped up to the podium to try and restore order.
"We have a process here," Jean-Pierre said. "I'm not calling on people who yell and you're being disrespectful to your colleagues and you're being disrespectful to our guest. I will not call on you if you yell, and also you're taking time off the clock because Dr. Fauci has to leave in a couple of minutes."
Her efforts accomplished little, and reporters immediately objected to the situation.
"I'm done!" Jean-Pierre retorted. "I'm not getting into a back-and-forth with you."
However, that only caused even more shouting. Africa Today's Simon Ateba emerged as the leading voice, asserting to Jean-Pierre that “you should allow her to ask the question … She’s asking about the origins of COVID-19, and Dr. Fauci is the best person to answer that question.”
"I hear the question!" Jean-Pierre shouted back at him. "But we're not doing this the way you want it! This is disrespectful. I'm done. Simon, I'm done. I'm done with you right now."
It was perhaps the biggest shakeup at a White House press conference since November 2018, when CNN correspondent Jim Acosta pressed then-US President Donald Trump about his disparaging comments about Latino asylum seekers entering the US via the US-Mexico border. Although in that case, Acosta had at least been called on to speak at first.
FULL EXCHANGE: Trump vs. @Acosta
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) November 7, 2018
"Put down the mic..."
"You are a rude, terrible person..." pic.twitter.com/hdnNGd2xLc
“I think you should let me run the country and you run CNN,” Trump told Acosta after a hostile back-and-forth. He then turned to call on another reporter, and Acosta raised his voice to ask another question about the Russiagate investigation.
After an aide rushed up and took the microphone from Acosta, Trump scolded the reporter, saying “CNN should be ashamed of itself, having you work for them. You are a rude, terrible person.”
However, Acosta pressed the question still, and Trump told him that “when you report fake news, which CNN does a lot, you are the enemy of the people.”
Acosta’s White House press credentials were suspended for over a week as a result of the fiasco.
