White House correspondent and CNN contributor April Ryan is no stranger to controversy in the Trump era. She has sparred with both Press Secretary Sean Spicer (remember the "stop shaking your head" moment?) and Sarah Huckabee Sanders during several entertaining press briefings. Now, that press room drama has made its way to the First Lady's office.
On Saturday, Ryan tweeted out an article entitled, “Is the Trump Administration Running a Child-Trafficking Ring or Nah? Follow Me Down the Rabbit Hole.” It's a piece from The Root criticizing Trump for peddling conspiracy theories.
Melania Trump's communications director Stephanie Grisham didn't take kindly to Ryan's tweet, asking why reporters like her can get away with sharing fake news.
If you’re a journalist w many followers & a @CNNPolitics contributor...is it ok to retweet any headline you want, regardless of if it’s true? Remember: “The core purpose of a journalist is to research, document, write, & present the news in an honest, ethical, & unbiased way.” https://t.co/aVwSrnoio2
— Stephanie Grisham (@StephGrisham45) May 27, 2018
Ryan told Grisham to actually read the story and not just the headline, before accusing her - and Fox News - of fueling hate.
That fake news story from FOX and your not reading the story just a headline creates an atmosphere of hate against me that leads to ugliness. It has to stop! https://t.co/CIcjiYevcQ
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) May 28, 2018
Some outlets like Splinter came to Ryan's defense, accusing the White House of "cyberbullying" the press corps. How dare the First Lady's team try and lecture anyone on honesty and integrity, when her husband is "one of the most prolific liars on the planet."
