White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, asked point-blank by CNN’s Jim Acosta to do so, did not say that the press is not the “enemy of the people,” as President Donald Trump has claimed.

In a jawdropping exchange which got the CNN reporter so frustrated he eventually walked out, Acosta challenged Sanders to stand against the president’s tweets.

“You read off a laundry list of your concerns about the press and then things that you feel were misreported but you did not say that the press is not the enemy of the people,” Acosta said. “I think it would be a good thing if you were to state right here at this briefing that the press, the people who are gathered in this room right now, doing their jobs every day, asking questions of officials like the ones you brought forward earlier are not the enemy of the people. I think we deserve that.”

But Sanders did not do so.

“It’s ironic, Jim, that not only you and the media attack the president for his rhetoric when they frequently lowered the level of conversation in this country,” she said.

“The media has attacked me repeatedly… When I was hosted by the correspondence association you brought up a comedian to attack me. As far as I know I’m the first press secretary in the history of the United States that’s required Secret Service protection,” she continued. “The media continues to ratchet up the verbal assault against the president and everyone in this administration and certainly we have a role to play but the media has to role to play for the discourse in this country as well.”

“You did not say in the course of those remarks that you just made that the press is not the enemy of the people,” Acosta replied. “Are we to take it from what you just said, we all get put through the wringer, we all get put through the meat grinder in this town and you’re not an exception and I’m sorry that happened to you. I wish that did not happen.”

“For the sake of this room, for the people in this room, this democracy, this country, all the people around the world are watching what you are saying and the White House for the United States of America, the president of the United States should not refer to us as enemy of the people? His own daughter acknowledges that and all I’m asking is you acknowledge that right here and right now.”

“I appreciate your passion. I share it. I’ve addressed this question. I’ve addressed my personal feelings. I’m here to speak on behalf of the president. He’s made his statements clear.”

Watch above, via CNN.

[image via screengrab]

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