White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday defended President Donald Trump’s call for action against the New York Times for its anonymous anti-Trump op-ed.
“Does the President not think that that op-ed is protected by your First Amendment?” asked a reporter during Monday’s press briefing. “Does he really think that the federal government should contemplate action against a newspaper for publishing an article?”
“I think it was less about that part of it and whether or not somebody who is actively trying to undermine the executive branch of the government and a duly elected President of the United States,” Sanders responded. “They don’t want to be part of that process, they shouldn’t be here.”
She also doubled down on Trump’s demand for the Justice Department to investigate the anonymous writer, saying that “they are attempting to undermine the executive branch.”