White House reporter April Ryan on Tuesday threatened legal action against the Daily Mail unless the publication offers her a public apology over an allegedly racially charged confrontation she had with one of its reporters.
At issue is an anecdote in Ryan’s forthcoming book, Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House, wherein Ryan says Daily Mail reporter Francesca Chambers told her that she only gets called on at the White House press briefings “because you’re black.”
Ryan, who reports for American Urban Radio Networks, did not identify Chambers by name in the book but confirmed it was her when asked by the Washington Examiner.
A spokesperson for the Daily Mail on Tuesday disputed Ryan’s version of events, and said it’s “sad day for journalism when a reporter makes false claims against another reporter to sell a book.”
Ryan responded by saying there were witnesses to the confrontation and suggested she might sue the Daily Mail.
“There were too many witnesses @dailymail @mailonline for you to say [Chambers] did not do it,” she wrote on Twitter. “The reporter asked around and was told and I verified. It is true. Do your own investigation. I wait for a public apology from you! If not I may have to take legal action!”
There were too many witnesses @dailymail @mailonline for you to say @fran_chambers did not do it. The reporter asked around and was told and I verified. It is true. Do your own investigation. I wait for a public apology from you! If not I may have to take legal action!
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) July 24, 2018
The Washington Examiner has not confirmed that Chambers, who is also black, made the racially charged comment but multiple sources have corroborated that a verbal confrontation between Ryan and Chambers did occur on the White House premises in February 2017.
A spokesperson for the Daily Mail on Tuesday declined to comment on Ryan’s threat of legal action.
A source close to Chambers, who has not returned a request for comment, has said she is currently traveling overseas.
