The State Department’s top spokeswoman on Monday muted the line of a reporter asking about John Bolton’s book during a briefing extolling press freedom.
The Department convened a telephone briefing ahead of its designation of four additional Chinese news outlets as foreign missions. But when David Brunnstrom, a journalist from Reuters, asked whether U.S. allies had reached out to the assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the wake of Bolton’s book, his line was muted.
“That’s not what this call is about,” the department’s spokeswoman, Morgan Ortagus, said in response to the question.
After Brunnstrom continued his question, Ortagus said, “AT&T, we can mute that line.”
In his forthcoming memoir, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser claimed that Trump tried to enlist China’s help in his reelection campaign. The White House has sought to discredit Bolton and portray his book as filled with lies.
A CBS News reporter, Christina Ruffini, wrote on Twitter that the silencing of the journalist came during the State Department’s attempt to highlight the importance of a free press. Monday’s designation of additional Chinese outlets as foreign missions essentially labels the organizations as state-controlled propaganda.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has had a fractious relationship with the media. Most notably, he publicly accused NPR host Mary Louise Kelly of lying to him in January.
The State Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the Monday briefing.
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