CNN's senior White House correspondent said President Trump's decision to call on only members from conservative media outlets during his past three news conferences shows "the fix is in" to ignore the mainstream press.
"There's no other way to describe it, but the fix is in," Jim Acosta said in a conversation with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.
"This White House, this president, does not want to answer questions, critical questions, about his associates, his aides' contacts with the Russians during the course of that campaign.
"They may think that this is being cute, or they think this is strategic in terms of trying to shield the president from questions. But those questions can only be shielded for so long," Acosta said.
Acosta's charge came after Trump only called on conservative news organizations at a Wednesday afternoon news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"In the last three news conferences, all of the questions to the America news media have been handled by conservative press," Acosta said, reporting from the East Room of the White House.
Acosta himself was ignored by Trump on Tuesday as he tried to ask the president about a The New York Times report members of his campaign team were in constant contact with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
According to Talking Points Memo, in the past three question-and-answer sessions with reporters, Trump has called on reporters working for groups with a conservative slant.
They include: The New York Post and the Fox Business Network — both owned by Trump's friend, media mogul Rupert Murdoch — and Christian Broadcasting News, the Sinclair Broadcasting's WJLA, The Daily Caller and Townhall.com.
Trump, in the past, has blasted CNN, NBC, ABC and The New York Times for running what he says is "fake news."
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