Gingrich calls for eliminating White House press corps in wake of Mulvaney briefing

Source: The Hill | October 21, 2019 | Justin Wise

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) on Monday renewed his call for eliminating the White House press corps, saying that the reporters are all “enemies” of President Trump.

Gingrich, a staunch defender of the president, made the statements on CBS News’ streaming service after being asked about remarks White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney made about Trump’s interactions with Ukraine during a press briefing last week.

While speaking to reporters, Mulvaney indicated that Trump withheld military aid from Ukraine in part to get the country to investigate an unproven theory related to the 2016 election. He has since walked back those remarks.

Questioned on how he would have advised Mulvaney before the briefing, Gingrich said that “there wouldn’t be a White House press corps in the White House” if he had the ability to make such a decision.

“They’re all the enemies of the president,” Gingrich, who ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, said. “Why would you call on people who get up every morning saying, ‘I hate Donald Trump, I wonder how I can make his life miserable?’”

“Well this is the opportunity for the president to speak to the people, right?” CBSN anchor Anne-Marie Green responded, prompting Gingrich to contend that the president does not need the press corps to speak with the American public. 

“The president can speak to the people [anytime]. He doesn’t need to go through a bunch of reporters who are then going to be distorted by their editors,” Gingrich argued.

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