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Jay Carney’s Message To Reporters ‘Screamed At’ By Sources: Toughen Up

» 104 comments

At Wednesday’s White House daily briefing, Fox News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry asked Press Secretary Jay Carney to respond to a report that a White House official had “screamed and cussed at” CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson, over the unfolding Fast and Furious story. Carney said he didn’t know about that specific conversation, but elaborated in his response that, in general, “hard-bitten journalists” ought to be able to handle “tough conversations” and “an extra decibel or two in a phone conversation.”

Henry related Attkisson’s claim, which she made on Laura Ingraham‘s radio show. ”Sharyl Attkisson, a CBS News reporter, said, a few days ago that a White House official just yelled and screamed at her, she’s been reporting on this for some time, about this whole story,” Henry said.

He then framed his question within Carney’s experience as a journalist. “You were a reporter once, when government officials start yelling at you, sometimes it’s because they’re getting defensive, right?”

“I have no insight into the conversation she may, or may not, have had,” Carney began.  ”I know that you guys are all hard-bitten veteran journalists, and probably don’t complain when you have tough conversations with sources sometimes.”

He added, “Again, this is just generally speaking, I don’t know about it.”

Henry, unsatisfied with the response,  followed up by asking, “She said this on the record, that she was yelled at and screamed at. Why would the administration be yelling at her about this story?”

“Again, I don’t…I take issue with the report,” Carney said. “I don’t know that it’s true. What I think is that I know you are tough enough to handle an extra decibel or two in a phone conversation. I’m not sure that that happened here, but it’s surprising to me.”

There’s a lot of reading between the lines to be done here, of course. The idea that Carney hasn’t spoken to Eric Schultz about Attkisson’s claim is absurd, but that’s not what Carney said. He obviously didn’t want to engage in a “he said, she said” over a conversation that, apparently, wasn’t taped, but also wanted to defuse the story somewhat.

The issue here, though, isn’t a “tough conversation,” or a couple of decibels. I’ve been reporting on this White House for nearly three years now, and I’ve irritated more than my fair share of press aides, but I’ve never been cursed at by one, at least not to my face. Whether Carney wants to air it out publicly or not, it’s a good bet Schultz won’t be cursing out any other reporters, anytime soon.

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  • Michelle

    Tommy,
    Did anyone ask Jay when Holder will get thrown under the bus?  It didn’t take Barry this long to throw grannie and the Rev under the bus, so I’m wondering what Holder has on him. 

  • Michelle needs a job.

    Michelle do you even have a job besides making stupid statements on Mediaite??

  • Michelle

    Why yes, Colby, I do.  In fact, I have 2.

  • Concerned Citizen

    Tommy, why no Fast and Furious stories on the emails contradicting what Holder told congress? This is a huge story where Americans and Mexicans were killed with guns the DOJ sanctioned to be given to drug dealer killers. You have a seat at the big boy table, why aren’t you asking questions on this everyday? 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NWVKX2P2QBPQ6FHQHCHVIC2ALQ Fedup in Florida

    Carney’s message to the White House press corps –  ”You better toughen up and get used to it…  There’s going to be alot more yelling, SCREAMING and cursing around here, hell we’ve got an election to lose!”

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    Carney was talking to you Sean Hannity!! But will you listen… No, because you’re a spineless coward!!

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    Carney was talking to you Sean Hannity!! But will you listen… No, because you’re a spineless coward!!

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    Carney was talking to you Sean Hannity!! But will you listen… No, because you’re a spineless coward!!

  • Anonymous

    This likely leads to Obama . No wonder they’re screaming .

    “In the White House briefing on June 27, CNSNews.com asked White House Press Secretary Jay Carney for the date that President Barack Obama first learned about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) botched gun-sting operation known as “Fast and Furious.”

    http://cnsnews.com/news/article/when-did-obama-learn-fast-and-furious-wh-isn-t-saying

    “Consider Obama: In April 2009 he spoke alongside Mexican President Felipe Calderón about how border violence on the U.S./Mexico border was proof that the assault weapons ban needed to be re-instituted. (Ironically, at that very same time, the Obama administration was preparing to undertake Fast and Furious, which we now know increased the number of assault weapons on the border exponentially.)

    The audacity of both Obama and Holder is stomach turning.

    I have not been alone in speculating that the real reason behind Fast and Furious was to cause enough border chaos to incline Americans to clamor for more gun control, thereby opening the door for Obama’s anti-gun agenda to be unleashed. And as  you read the words he spoke while with President Calderón, it’s easy to see how he was counting on border chaos to benefit him.
    Sadly, Calderón played into Obama’s hand when he stood by him and said: “From the moment the prohibition on the sale of assault weapons [in the U.S.] was lifted a few years ago, we have seen an increase in the power of organized crime in Mexico.”

    http://biggovernment.com/awrhawkins/2011/10/05/did-obama-hope-to-benefit-from-fast-and-furious/

  • Anonymous

    It’s falling apart in the White House .

    Screaming at reporters . Dissembling .  Lying .

    Obama has failed and all are finding out just how bad the administration has been for this country .

  • Anonymous

    What does  Hannity have to do with the WH staff going bonkers over yet another story that shows their incompetence? 

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    If you read between the lines, there’s only one group of reporters in the country that need to toughen up… and those are the ones at Fox News!! And who is the biggest, spineless coward over at Fox News?? Sean Hannity!! If you actually were willing to connect the dots, you would have came to same conclusion!!

  • Bourekas

    The WH is telling fox to toughen up?  That is beyond stupid!  This white house has consistently demonstrated fear of fox news and tried, unsuccessfully, to marginalize them.

  • Ralph-NY

    I guess its now fine to teach the media like dirt. Good to know

  • Come on

    Lets be real whether you like the question or not these are people who are reporting to the American people. Deal with the questions like adults and professionals. This is weak stuff from the White House and Carney.

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    The White House doesn’t fear Fox News, they just give them the respect they deserve… which is NONE!! Lol!!

  • Silgary

    Ban them like the poosie christopher.

  • Anonymous

    A “Hard bitten journalist” like Tommy X would never get upset if Carney yelled at him, even though that would never happen.

  • Anonymous

    Tommy only works for one side.

  • Anonymous

    Sexist? Check!  Hostile?  Check!  Whew, good thing we got that change from Obama.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EWU74XZCZDTLKLABMUFIXTU74I More

    Good point.  It’s a well known fact that Tommy is an unabashed liberal.  Even his boss admitted it last year.

  • SweepTheLeg!!!

    The lies and hostility are intensifying. My guess is that they will only get worse as we get closer to the elections. Cain is right, the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement is to serve as cover for all the BS we’re learning about. Just look at who’s sponsoring it, unions and Soros.

  • Anonymous

    So, Carney is confirming that his people scream at reporters?

  • RW

    LeeDog is from MediaMatters.

    What the press should do is rally around Sharyl Attkisson
    This is just like when the White House tried to keep Fox News out of the White House press briefings. Even though not all the other news organizations agreed with Fox News, they supported Fox News in that instance.
    All the news organizations should support Sharyl Attkisson. The MSM should stop sitting on this story.

  • Anonymous

    Dude, Sharyl Attkisson works for CBS News.

  • Silverado

    Jay Carney and Barack Obama must have decided that if Chis Christie’s tough approach toward thin skinned journalists is what makes him popular then  they should take the same tack.

    What a joke.

    And for Mr. Christopher to claim that there was cursing involved when clearly Ms Atkisson didn’t refer to it  on Laura Ingraham’s show is clearly a rule out of the Liberal’s playbook to phantomize events.

    Who said there was cursing Mr. Christopher?

  • Anonymous

    This is a bigger story than any other events of past years that were investigated. People died. But if you report on it there could be a reason to demand accountability from this administration and that will not help re-election of “THE ONE.”

  • mac691

    Maybe you missed the part where the reporter being yelled at works for CBS News.  

  • Silverado

    Wanting to clear up exactly what happened in her conversation with the White House spokespeople, Mark Hemmingway of the Weekly Standard filed this:

    “Today, I called CBS News in an attempt to interview Attkisson. I was told by CBS News senior vice president of communications Sonya McNair that Attkisson would be unavailable for interviews all week. When I asked why Attkisson would be unavailable, McNair would not say.”

    http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/cbs-news-silencing-fast-and-furious-reporter-due-white-house-pressure_595068.html

    But when it came to Bush’s Air National Guard record, Dan Rather was made available for anyone who owned a  pencil.

    The media, it has no clothes.

    By the way, where has the term “Mainstream Media” disappeared to?

    (Just kidding-the Tea Party ate it for lunch)

  • Anonymous

    I connected the dots once on the face of david gregory and got Howdy Doody!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Lars-Svensen/100001028197161 Lars Svensen

    Yeah, Sharyl, grow a pair. Don’t be a wuss. Be more like Ann Curry.

  • Anonymous

    “Who said there was cursing Mr. Christopher?”

    Sharyl Atkisson did.  During her interview with Laura Ingraham.  I’m not going to link it.  Look it up yourself.

  • Anonymous

    You’re wrong, of course, but I don’t even understand your premise. Why would you suppose I would invent cursing?

    http://www.mediaite.com/online/cbs-news-reporter-white-house-aide-%E2%80%98screamed-and-cussed-at-me%E2%80%99-over-fast-and-furious-questions/

    “The guy from the White House on Friday night literally screamed at me and cussed at me. … Eric Schultz.”

  • Silverado

    …and the only known Marxist/Communist to officially occupy the position of presidential advisor (or  name an offspring after  Van Jones.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/01/van-jones-occupy-wall-street-rebuild-the-dream_n_990463.html

    Van Jones, by the way, received the NAACP Image Award, in spite of not disavowing his allegience to anti American activities:

    “I am looking forward to reintroducing myself to the American people and that’s exciting to have that opportunity”.

  • Anonymous

    and now her own network has silenced her.  We must not ever, never erver ever speak ill of hehinmselfthe one.  If you do, we will lock you up in a closet and not allow you to see daylight or speak with anyone about what happened.  DO NOT SPEAK ILL OF DEAR LEADER.

    Shameful of CBS, shameful of the rest of the media for being silent on one of their colleaques being silenced by he WH…who I’m certain is directing CBS on how to handle this reporter.

  • Anonymous

    uh, if you think that is a bigger story than N*ggerhead, TX you are have it wrong. Based on the coverage here clearly an insensitively named piece of leased property from 30 years ago is a vital national security issue.  Our government fueling the murders of citizens from 2 countries is a trivial matter. 

  • Tompaineaz

    Leedog has left the building! He has some other talking points to spread.  

  • Anonymous

    The CBS reporter will be fired in a few months, just long enough for everyone to forget she is actually reporting on the admin instead of fawning and drooling all over Obama.  I watched all the Sunday shows and CBS, NBC and ABC did not mention this issue or Solendra.  But we will hear about a painted rock from 1981.  The press is shameless.  They vet debate audience members more than they vetted Obama.  They are responsible for the mess we are in.  I don’t like Perry but come on, a painted rock is front page news?  Now we have the most inexperienced, incompetent, ethics challenged commander in chief in a lifetime.  Thank you media.

  • Gary

    Nothing will be finer than watching this band of clowns depart DC on 1/20/13 at 12:01 PM.  And that includes Carney.  What an ass.  Actually, something would be finer….watching them peer out from their cells in their striped uniforms after the investigations are over.

  • http://onfollowingchrist.wordpress.com Paul B.

    Scratch down beneath their thin veneer of philanthropy, and leftists invariably reveal ugly hearts.

  • George

    Michelle, don’t worry about Michelle needs a job. Some morons will support Obama no matter incompetent the man is. Some idiots in this country will keep their head in the sand until the man is thrown out of office next year. Then, they’ll cry racism. There’s no wisdom among the left.

  • George

    Liberals are so corrupt. They’ll look for anything to avoid the truth. So many in here prove the left is some of the biggest dolts on the planet.

  • George

    Leedog is one of those who criticize Fox and never watches it. He want’s to be fed the same news he already believes in. He doesn’t know it but he’s by far the kid sitting in the back of the room with a dunce hat on. Keep watching MSNBC Leedog, you get one view which is the only one you’re interested in. Fox News has more decent in one day than MSNBC, NPR, CNN has their entire year. Dolts like Leedog aren’t interested in learning anything other than his own opinion. He wears his ignorance like a badge of honor. And you dare question anyone’s intelligence? Shame on you.

  • Anonymous

    You need more than a job–you need a brain

  • George

    Adults in the White House? Please name one.

  • Anonymous

    “I have no insight into the conversation she may, or may not, have had,”

    Carney is sounding more and more like a lawyer.  Wonder why?

  • George

    The far left does not want to learn the truth about anything because they will learn how really ignorant they’ve been. It’s why so many lefty’s only have lefty friends. They cannot argue on merit. They jump from subject to subject with nothing more than emotional arguments. Don’t you want kids to be educated? How could you be against giving healthcare to sick people? Do you think we should take houses away from families because they cannot make their payments? Do you want to throw them into the streets? How could you not want to feed hungry children? Shouldn’t workers deserve a living wage for their hard work? All examples of liberal arguments. They’re simply children with no reality of the real world. No ideas how to pay for these policies nor the consequences of trying to help all these groups. The left lacks wisdom.

  • novaculus

    The obvious inference:  Attkisson’s reporting threatens to reveal the truth, which is that an operation that involved multiple agencies and multiple cabinet level departments in a criminal conspiracy to violate the laws of the United States and Mexico and international treaties had to have the authorization from above.  Obama’s minions are all terrified that the truth will be revealed.

    Many people have died, some of them innocent.  The blood trail leads straight to the Oval Office.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JIR3DNSBQVINQ6OTOGSTAXISUU Shefali S

    You are so right. Of course N*gger is a horrible word, and if they had audio of Perry using it or a recent picture of the rock in question emblazoned with it as Perry stood by, that would be one thing. But for them to dredge up something from 27 years ago, when Perry’s DAD leased the property and painted over the rock… Texas DEMOCRATS, including black Dems, have put out a statement in defense of Perry, saying that they disagree with him politically, but he is no racist. Was that publicized?

    Meanwhile, we have Solyndra, which cost the taxpayers $500 million, and we have Fast and Furious, which may have killed 200 Mexicans… and those stories get less publicity than a 27 year old rock?

  • Anonymous

    I love how almost none of the comments actually address the topic but more attack the author.  Is there a story you guys can comment on w/o looking through prism of politics?

    This kind of sucks the life away from a well written, content heavy article. 

    /but what do I know.

  • JBD

    So is this the lack of dignity people dealing with the White House must learn to accommodate? This is disgusting. And Carney reveals himself as a man with a power complex and absolutely no class, an uber dweeb or something.

    {^_^}

  • da_trute

    well, if you think about it, and, anagramically speaking, (is that a word?), the names Obama and Nixon
    are not even close, but the SMELL… now that is definitely the same!!!

  • Anonymous

    A regime that wants to manage the economy by managing corporations will also demand political cronyism as well and punish those who don’t fall in line.

  • Anonymous

    There’s something paradoxical about Limp-Wristed LIBS declaring that OTHERS are ‘soft’ or should ‘toughen up.’

    Very humorous indeed.

  • Anonymous

    Someone needs their diaper changed….

  • Anonymous

    Go KCGranny…big, big belly laugh…almost spit my coffee…thanks!

  • Anonymous

    In a Dictatorship the peasants are not allowed to question their rulers.

  • Anonymous

    The protesters are upset the Banks won’t raise their credit limits on their half dozen maxed out credit cards so they can pay on their massive student loans taken out to pay for their worthless degrees earned while partying for the past 4 or 5 years on the taxpayers’ dime.

  • Anonymous

    Good collection of lefty one liner arguments designed solely to defend their ignorance, hypocrisy, and true intentions!

  • Anonymous

    It’s such a clear violation of her First Amendment freedom of the press rights. Who wants to report news after being verbally abused and intimidated by a woman-hating White House administration?

    I wish she would sue them.

  • Anonymous

    You obviously don’t read Tommy’s work too often. He writes through the same prism you complain about.

  • Anonymous

    200 Mexicans,100 000 Iraqis
    .
    I see you only care about certain brown people.

  • Guest

    This CBS reporter is now unavailable for any interviews…Is CBS now silencing this reporter?

  • Anonymous

    OMG George Soros!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    “They jump from subject to subject with nothing more than emotional arguments”

    You are the emotional one.Clutching your pearls because someone got yelled at.Pathetic,you are.

  • Anonymous

    No,she’s probably doing the same as you wing nuts.Curled up in a ball crying her eyes out.

  • Anonymous

    So what Carney is saying is that it is fine for members of the administration to be rude and nasty to reporters.  If the Bush administration had done this, the reporters and their organizations would be screaming bloody murder about an administration out of control, frustrated, and frightened by the truth.  This administration is all of these thngs, yet we don’t hear it pointed out.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_HWRGNSZMEVZXQTDGCUC6IR7NTA JohnFLob

    Why can’t Obama, his cabinet, and his staff follow the same advice they are preaching to  Sharyl Attkisson?Toughen Up and deal with it. Don’t whine and complain every time your utopian dream(s) is/are questioned. Not that many of us attended Harvard (supposedly) but that does not mean we are Pavlovian trained dogs wait for you to ring your little bell.

  • Floridaswampthing

    Oh, so maybe there is truth to the new book that just came out about treating the women in the WH badly and women working in the WH who have reported that the WH is a hostel work place. Carney tells this women reporter to “Toughen Up’ when she complains about being yelled at. Sexist Pigs.

  • Penny

    Obama has a press conference scheduled for 11am today. I am betting that the wheels of the bus will be crushing Holder before lunch.

  • TruDat

    This is turning into one of the most corrupt regimes in memory.

  • Anonymous

    Maybe he should advise Obama to “toughen up” instead of whining and complaining so much – esecially about Fox News>”

  • Anonymous

    Great rant.  Problem is that the reporter in question worked for CBS.

  • Anonymous

    Prick

  • Anonymous

    Prick

  • Anonymous

    Prick

  • Seth

    Aren’t the latest unemployement numbers coming out today?  I’m betting this press conference has more to do with deflecting attention from that than anything else.  They’ll keep sheltering Holder until he becomes absolutely toxic.

  • Tom Tucker

    Carney missed the point…or is simpky trying to turn public attention away from it.  The display of anger was a reaction to the reporter touching a nerve.  When a person is caught and out of excuses, the next step is anger…and then to attack the character of the person making the accusation.  Thank you WH and Carey for proving human behavior.

  • Tom Tucker

    Carney missed the point…or is simpky trying to turn public attention away from it.  The display of anger was a reaction to the reporter touching a nerve.  When a person is caught and out of excuses, the next step is anger…and then to attack the character of the person making the accusation.  Thank you WH and Carey for proving human behavior.

  • David

    Asshole

  • David

    Carney has to be lowest of slime among this group of bottom feeders. What a disgusting piece of human trash.

  • Tom Tucker

    Turning into???  It always was.  Obama and all of his cronies have specifically and clearly stated their goals to destroy America in its present form by rewriting the Constitution, “norming” all countries to form one global economy and government, and then placing all people under the authoritarian rule of government.  In fact, every step and policy the O has implemented has that goal in mind.  But the liberal media is so hell bent on socializing the US that they diliberately cover up any and all corruption by the current administration.  Only rarely does any hint of corruption escape the general media’s control and make headlines.  If the media ever truly printed the truth about this administration the world would be in shock. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690550741 Michael A. Leach

    I love Michelle!  She smarter than all the liberals on Mediate combined…especially Tommy.  Oh, and if you people didn’t know, Tommy is a paid White House staffer.  He’s a plant in the press pool, but actually he’s an employee of the Executive Branch of government.  Ask him, he’ll tell you.  He has an office in the EEOB.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690550741 Michael A. Leach

    Concerned Citizen: Read what I wrote above.  The reason Tommy won’t write stories about it is because he’s a paid White House employee.  He can’t, under duress of being terminated by the WH, talk ill about his boss, Barack Obama.  

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3TIU5N34A5RQUO5X6O64E7WRJM Andrew Raines

    Oscar, we aren’t the ones doing the screaming.  We’re just turning over the rocks and causing you liberals to run away screaming in a panic.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3TIU5N34A5RQUO5X6O64E7WRJM Andrew Raines

    CBS is very foolish for silencing this reporter.  This will probably just strengthen her resolve and cause her to dig even deeper.

  • Anonymous

    Really?  The hunting lodge story is bigger than Fast & Furious and the killing of people on the border. Wow, did Perry shoot and kill anyone?

  • Michelle
  • TruDat

    So true.

  • Anonymous

    Note where I wrote, “Based on the coverage here. . .”

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XXVLPAUZKA76IIWIJXH2VETWZE Homie Barak

    “toughen up”   Oh? Like mr thin skinned  kenyan muslim who illegally bans people from the us who call him derogatory terms?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Pad-Dar/100002515504977 Pad Dar

    You journalists had better toughen up, b/c Obama and the fascists in DC dont want to be criticized.
    Obama=Bush on steroids.

  • Watchman

    Sing with me!!!! Under Pressure…doo..do..do….do.do.do..doo…….doo..do..do….do.do.do..doo…Under pressure…

  • VenturaCapitalist

    Cabana Boy Holder and The Obamarrhoid: Cheap punks.

  • Anonymous

     here is something to think about. Perry has ran for Texas Governor and been elected twice.
    but yet neither Democrat opponent knew about this or tried to use it against him in a state race.
    why all of a sudden does it matter??? one would think they would have tried this in a governor’s election too if they thought it would be beneficial

  • Anonymous

     i think carney was talking to reporters in general

  • Anonymous

     worse than the person who use to address the press…  what was his name????

  • Anonymous

     she isnt a wuss. she just doesnt like being yelled and cussed at. NO ONE deserves that… be it a member of the media or any private citizen. especially by and elected official or someone who works for the elected official

  • Anonymous

    i saw a news story where she tweeted and said this isnt the end of me.

  • Anonymous

    Accusations, belittling, denigrating, name-calling, etc., etc.  If there are fascists in DC aren’t you lucky you, and anyone else, can express yourself without any validation and/or discipline. What a country -  one can make an accusation and it’s reported and accepted as fact.   Very few reporters, i.e., Tim Russert, Walter Cronkite, and others, would have questioned the source and would have expected specific information rather than practice “yellow journalism”.  Then we readers would be better informed! 

  • Anonymous

    Toughen up, stop whinin’, eat your peas,take off your slippers….he needs to follow his own advice.

  • Anonymous

    ah yes this great Obama leader of ours who said he would be transparent. he rips Bush for Gitmo yet he has a American citizen killed with a secret panel. dont get me wrong I dont care about this terrorist scum but how does he have the balls to rip Bush yet do the same thing? where is the liberal media? they are all scum

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VKP7P5KYVIFOJA5IIHLYHFTCQE Steve Mcfadden

    You would think carney would get tired of being spanked at home and will just start crying on tv and let some other liar take over. Maybe shipman can take over and he can spank her for lying.

  • Anonymous

    Ed Henry should have followed up by becoming extremely uncivil, and then explaining . . . “Well, you just said we need to toughen up, how about you?”

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