CNN and MSNBC Snub Sarah Sanders’ First Briefing of 2019

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders held her first briefing in 41 days, but two of the three major cable news networks did not carry the session live.

The briefing, initially scheduled at 3 p.m. ET, began shortly after 3:30 with Sanders introducing a trio of opening acts. After remarks and question-and-answer periods from National Security Advisor John Bolton,  Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and senior economic adviser Larry Kudlow, Sanders took to the podium to answer questions for the first time since Dec. 18.

Fox News and Fox Business Channel carried the briefing, including the warm-up acts, live. But both CNN and MSNBC went with other programming, even after Sanders took the stage.

MSNBC stuck with Nicolle Wallace‘s Deadline: White House, which featured panel discussions on the latest developments in the Mueller investigation.

On CNN, The Lead with Jake Tapper stuck with its live broadcast from Des Moines, IA, in anticipation of Monday night’s Jake Tapper-hosted town hall meeting with California Senator and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

While Trump and his White House have been heavily criticized for not conducting daily, weekly, or even monthly briefings, many journalists have also questioned the wisdom and utility of the briefings.

We’ve reached out to CNN and MSNBC for comment about the decision not to carry Sanders’ briefing live, but as of this writing, they have not responded.

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