The White House’s decision comes after they had the Secret Service take Acosta’s press pass on November 7, when he refused to give up the microphone after asking repeated questions and touched a young female aide who tried to take the microphone away.
The White House outlined the following four new rules that reporters must abide by at press conferences:
1. A journalist called upon to ask a question will ask a single question and then will yield the floor to other journalists;
2. At the discretion of the President or other White House official taking questions, a follow-up question or questions may be permitted; and where a follow up has been allowed and asked, the questioner will then yield the floor;
3. “Yielding the floor” includes, when applicable, physically surrendering the microphone to White House staff for use by the next questioner;
4. Failure to abide by any of rules (1)-(3) may result in suspension or revocation of the journalist’s hard pass.
“President Trump believes in a free press and expects and welcomes tough questions of him and his Administration,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted the day Acosta’s press pass was taken away. “We will, however, never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern.”- READ MORE