Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly told TMZ on Thursday he thinks the White House set up CNN’s Jim Acosta by having a female intern approach to grab the microphone from him at Wednesday’s press briefing in the East Room.
The White House Press Office revoked Acosta’s press credentials yesterday after he physically prevented a female White House intern from collecting the microphone after Trump told him to stop talking.
Connolly described the physical altercation as “kind of a staged setup,” and clarified that he thinks the White House set the whole thing up as a ruse to take away Acosta’s hard pass.
“I believe they had an intern deliberately set up Jim Acosta,” Connolly said. “I think that was pretty clear.”
None of CNN’s other White House correspondents have had their credentials revoked. Nor have any of them used their bodies to physically repel an intern during a briefing.
