Kristen Holmes disputed Donald Trump’s claim that CNN and MS NOW refused to cover Xi Jinping’s White House welcome, saying the outlets had been barred. CNN reporter Betsy Klein had no access until noon, when the 10 a.m. event was already wrapping up.
A judge had temporarily blocked the White House’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico and ordered their access restored Thursday morning. Trump posted at 4:50 p.m. that CNN and MS NOW had refused to attend the welcome, which began at 10 a.m. Holmes said CNN and the press pool would have covered the event if they had not been excluded. She said either someone in the administration or press office was lying to Trump, he did not understand what happened, or he himself was not telling the truth.
CNN was later allowed onto White House grounds but was barred from covering Xi’s state dinner. The White House wanted only a TV camera and audio feed at the event, without a reporter or producer.
