The president of the White House Correspondents’ Association says the apparent end of the daily White House press briefing “sets a terrible precedent”.
US President Donald Trump tweeted on Tuesday that he told White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders “not to bother” with the daily briefing.
It has been a long-time tradition in which a White House official answers questions in the briefing room to a group of 50 or so reporters. The last press briefing was held on December 18.
Olivier Knox, chief Washington correspondent for SiriusXM and president of the WHCA, said “this retreat from transparency and accountability sets a terrible precedent. Being able to question the press secretary or other senior government officials publicly helps the news media tell Americans what their most powerful representatives are doing in their name.