WHCA Prez Zeke Miller Slams Trump Administration for Inviting Conspiracy Sites to Briefings: ‘Outrageous’

White House Correspondents’ Association president Zeke Miller, of the Associated Press, told the Washington Post that it is “outrageous” that pro-Trump conspiracy sites The Gateway Pundit and Epoch Times are “invited” to press briefings, where they put everyone else “at risk.”

Speaking with the Washington Post‘s Paul Farhi by email this week, Miller expressed his frustration and outrage at the Trump administration’s practices for the briefing room. The White House has brought both outlets into the room, and President Donald Trump has called on them for questions.

Under social distancing restrictions, the press corps has been limited to 14 journalists at a time, with outlets rotating turns in the room.

“Gateway Pundit and Epoch Times both jumped the line with the White House’s blessing starting on Thursday,” Farhi writes. “They joined conservative cable network One America News (OAN), whose correspondent was initially barred by the WHCA but has been granted an exemption by Trump since April.”

The “guests” were in the news this week when OAN’s Chanel Rion deferred her question to Emel Akan of the Epoch Times after she was called on by President Trump (above, via the Washington Post on YouTube).

“It is outrageous that the White House continues to invite ‘guests’ to press briefings, putting the health and safety of everyone in the workspace at greater risk, Miller told the Post. “Trampling on [the CDC recommended] guidelines endangers the critical work of reporters who have maintained independent press coverage of the presidency throughout the pandemic.”

In his article, Fahri outlines the timeline and background thoroughly, making Miller’s outrage all the more understandable.