National security adviser John Bolton was set to appear in CNN’s Jake Tapper’s show State of the Union . Tapper revealed on Twitter that Bolton was willing to do the interview but it was canceled by the White House.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in response to Tapper’s tweet that the interview was canceled because of a CNN reporter’s “bad behavior” which was disrespecting Theresa May and President Trump.
Sanders is likely referring to the incident during a joint summit in London when CNN’s White House correspondent Jim Acosta asked the President a question. Trump refused to take his question and called CNN “fake news” before taking a question from a Fox News reporter.
During a lengthy interview about Trump’s upcoming summit with Putin in Helsinki and Mueller’s indictments, ABC News ‘ Jon Karl confronted John Bolton about the White House decision to scrap his CNN interview, according to the Huffington Post .
Bolton distances himself from the White House decision in regard to his scheduled CNN appearance.
Karl asked Bolton about the White House decision to cancel an appearance on the CNN network over Jim Acosta’s attempt to ask the President a question.
“Is it really appropriate to deny a news organization access to a White House official because a reporter tried to ask a question at a press conference?”
The national security adviser responded.
“Look, in reality, I don’t seek out the press. I don’t talk to them. I appear when I’m asked to and if I’m not asked to appear I don’t do it. And I don’t communicate with them either as you could find out if you consulted your friends in the Washington press corps who I don’t communicate with.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper explains that State of the Union invited and confirmed national security adviser John Bolton to come on the show, but the White House canceled Bolton’s appearance #CNNSOTU https://t.co/K1wwNJ9ark
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 15, 2018
John Bolton is a former Fox News contributor and is among many White House officials President Trump has hired from the network.
Bolton was also asked about Trump’s attacks on the press which Jon Karl compared to Putin’s alleged suppression of free speech in Russia. The ABC host notes that Trump repeatedly brands news reports that are not as favorable as fake news.
Tune to @ThisWeekABC for my interview on the Helsinki meeting and the President’s position of strength. pic.twitter.com/LdPex2GZUG
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) July 15, 2018
The White House national security adviser initially dodges the question and defends Trump’s decision to meet Putin by comparing it to when Franklin Roosevelt met with Josef Stalin – presumably referencing the Yalta Conference.
When the host repeated his question about Trump and the free press, Bolton responded, “I think the question’s silly.” He also followed up by stating his response was not an attack on the free press but a characterization of the question.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , Trump called his own recorded interview fake news after seemingly changes his mind about criticizing the British Prime Minister’s handling of Brexit.
