If you’re a regular viewer of CNN’s State of the Union, you may have noticed that in both episodes since inauguration, Jake Tapper has informed viewers of the following:

We asked the Trump WH to provide a guest to explain the order & clear up any confusion (even within its own govt).

They declined. #CNNSOTU — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 29, 2017

Yes, for two weekends in a row no one from the Trump administration has gone on Tapper’s show, even though the CNN anchor is considered a fair-minded journalist by some prominent conservative voices.

But according to Politico, this may be part of a deliberate strategy to “ice out” CNN:

The White House has refused to send its spokespeople or surrogates onto CNN shows, effectively icing out the network from on-air administration voices. “We’re sending surrogates to places where we think it makes sense to promote our agenda,” said a White House official, acknowledging that CNN is not such a place, but adding that the ban is not permanent.

One CNN reporter anonymously told Politico, “They’re trying to cull CNN from the herd.”

Trump administration officials appeared on other Sunday shows this week, they’ve been on Fox News, and Stephen Miller was even on MSNBC with Greta Van Susteren yesterday. But per Politico:

The last time an administration official was on CNN’s Sunday public affairs show “State of the Union” was Conway on January 8. She also appeared on CNN the following Wednesday with Anderson Cooper, the same day as then President-elect Trump’s press conference where he derided CNN for publishing a report that intelligence officials had briefed both Trump and former President Barack Obama that the Russians may have negative information about Trump.

The report says the administration is still answering questions from CNN reporters (Jim Acosta asked Sean Spicer during the first official presser last week), but Spicer has continued to publicly express frustrations with the tone of CNN’s coverage.

[featured image via CNN]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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