White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Sunday said he hopes the Trump administration doesn't attempt to block certain news outlets from White House press briefings.

Earnest said on CNN's "Reliable Sources" that banning outlets "would have been entirely inconsistent with the spirit" of the briefing room.

He said during the interview it's not unusual for him to call on the Breitbart reporter or on the Fox News reporter who is covering the White House.

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"There is a spirit in this room, about, if you feel so confident — as confident as I do — about the virtue in the positions and about the power and strength and persuasiveness of the arguments that we have to make," he said.

"Then you should be ready to make that argument to all comers."

Earnest said the Obama administration has "demonstrated the courage to do that."

"We'll see if the next administration does," he added.

Earnest then spoke to journalists regarding the upcoming transition.

"What's worth protecting in this room is the symbolic accountability and transparency that's demanded here," he said. "And that is something that's worth protecting and defending."