In what is certain to be an epic lovefest that would put even Hollywood’s mushiest romantic comedy to shame, President Obama will take questions from the press in the White House briefing room for the last time at 2:15 EST today…or whenever he decides to show up.
According to comments from current White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, Obama will use his last press conference to, once again, blast the incoming Trump administration’s “restrictions on the media” while encouraging the triggered snowflakes of America’s leftist networks to “rise to the occasion and adapt to the changing environment.” Per Politico:
In an interview with POLITICO, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama will use his final news conference to highlight his concerns about the restrictions on the media that the president-elect put in place during his campaign and transition, and what it might mean for his administration.
“The media environment is challenging, and the news media and the journalists who cover the White House will be challenged to rise to the occasion and adapt to the changing environment,” said Earnest, in an interview ahead of Wednesday. “I know the president is interested in showing his support for their efforts to do that.”
Of course, this closing message from Obama is particularly rich in light of his relentless war against whistleblowers over the past 8 years and repeated attempts to subpoena journalists’ phone records. Even CNN’s Jake Tapper was forced to admit that Obama’s pursuit of journalists was unprecedented…
“The Obama administration has used the Espionage Act to go after whistleblowers who leaked to journalists…more than all previous administrations combined.”
…while the Washington Post, back in 2013 called the Obama administration’s “efforts to control information” the most aggressive “since the Nixon administration.”
“The [Obama] administration’s war on leaks and other efforts to control information are the most aggressive I’ve seen since the Nixon administration, when I was one of the editors involved in The Washington Post’s investigation of Watergate.”
And while Obama will undoubtedly cite the recent tussle between Trump and CNN’s Jim Acosta as a sign of an aggressive stance that will be taken toward the media by the Trump administration, we would have loved to have seen how Obama would have reacted to a “journalist” calling him “inappropriate” during a press conference.
Of course, in the end, Obama’s parting coziness with the press will only serve to further boost Trump’s approval ratings.
via http://ift.tt/2iJUqPx Tyler Durden