Spicer: Media Plays Game Of "Gotcha," "Who Can Stump The Chump" At Briefings

White House press secretary talked about the White House's relationship with the press with the hosts of CBS This Morning on Monday's broadcast:





GAYLE KING: But sometimes what you're saying there at the podium doesn't appear to jive with the facts of what's been presented with whatever the issue is. And I'm wondering how you deal with that.



SEAN SPICER: Well, again, we go up there every day armed with a set of facts that we have. And sometimes it becomes a game of gotcha which is someone comes in and says, "Well, I know this instead." And that-- that's-- if that's the game it's who can stump the chump-- then that's not really-- an-- an exercise in trying to get to the bottom of a situation.



If it's trying to figure out who can, you know, get the other person-- that's one thing. If it's an attempt to really understand an issue we get up there every day, we do a lot of prep to try to make sure that we've got all the facts and the figures.



But if someone's trying to figure out how they can-- how they can sneak a fast one on us and say, "Did you know that line 78 of that bill had this provision in it?" Well, then that's an honest attempt to really understand the news. We're around all day long.



The press briefings usually happen at 1:00. And I'm always amazed sometimes at-- at-- at a member of the press corps that has sat on an issue for five or six hours only because they want to play a gotcha -- you know, playing a gotcha question. If they're truly interested in getting to the bottom of the situation they'll be able to report out a story-- I applaud that. But the question sometimes you have to ask is what's the motive behind the-- the tone and the questions they're asking.