Sarah Sanders says CNN's April Ryan hit a 'new low' after calling for her to be 'decapitated'
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has claimed that reporter April Ryan hit a "new low" after she called for her to be "decapitated".
During an appearance on 'Fox and Friends' Monday morning from the White House, where the 141st annual Easter Egg Roll was taking place, Sanders said, "Look, I've had reporters say a lot of things about me. They've said I should be choked, they said I deserve a lifetime of harassment," Daily Mail reports.
"But certainly never had someone say I should be decapitated," she said. "This takes us to a new low, even for the liberal media. I think this once again proves why this journalist isn't taken seriously."
On Friday, Ryan, who is a White House correspondent with CNN and the D.C. bureau chief for American Urban Radio, had said that Sanders couldn't be trusted. "The American people can't trust her. They can't trust what's said from the president's mouthpiece, spokesperson from the people's house," she said. "Therefore, she should be let go, she should be fired," Ryan said on CNN the day after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's redacted version of the Russia report was made public.
"When there is a lack of credibility there, you have to start and start lopping the heads off," Ryan continued.
In a veiled attack against critical journalists, Sanders said she felt sorry that they couldn't obsess over allegations of Russian collusion after Mueller cleared Trump of the same.
"I think our team needs to remain focused on how we keep pushing those things that actually help Americans, and not engaged in these petty fights with journalists simply that, again, shouldn't be taken seriously… and are just looking for a couple more minutes on TV," Sanders stated. "Frankly, I feel sorry for them because they have lost the collusion battle and now they're looking for anything they can hang on to keep this story alive, and frankly I think it's time to move on."
Ryan shot to fame after regularly engaging in heated arguments with Sanders during press briefings, and is currently in an ongoing feud with the White House.
That said, White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley also slammed mainstream media outlets Monday morning. "Listen, the media basically accused the president of collusion for two years with no proof and no evidence, they lied about this man. And when we actually went through all the process… no collusion, no obstruction, total exenteration of this president," Gidley told the morning show.
Gidley was asked about Ryan's comments regarding Sanders and claims by California Congresswoman Maxine Waters that people who still defend the president are not patriots. In response, he said he wouldn't listen to those who carried a hoax since day one of the Trump presidency.
"We as a White House staff are not going to take a lecture in truth-telling from a mainstream media that has been lying about this president for two years. They have no credibility on this topic," Gidley said.