Several videos caught former White House staffer Sebastian Gorka shouting and getting into the face of a journalist who taunted him Thursday inside the Rose Garden.
The confrontation took place after President Trump hosted a press conference announcing an executive order to tally non-citizens through the Commerce Department.
In a video leading up to the confrontation, Karem said the audience was a “group of people that are eager for demonic possession.” When Gorka shouted back at Karem, he said, “We can go outside and have a long conversation.”
After the #SocialMediaSummit @realDonaldTrump invited the conservative influencers to the Rose Garden for his press conf
We got the nice seats & I guess “journalist” @BrianKarem was sad
He tried to pick a fight w/ @SebGorka & then thought betterMy $$$ was on Seb as I note pic.twitter.com/yXfJfOKaZT
— Jim Hanson (@Uncle_Jimbo) July 11, 2019
“You’re a punk! You’re not a journalist! You’re a punk!” Gorka shouted at Brian Karem, a CNN political analyst and reporter for Playboy.
Guests who were invited to the social media summit cheered on Gorka; another person can be heard saying he should not be “attacking journalists like this.”
A Secret Service agent then tried to keep the two groups separate.
GRAPHIC LANGUAGE WARNING – Former White House aide Sebastian Gorka gets in tiff with media, accusing journalist of ‘threatening’ him in the Rose Garden, after Trump drops census citizenship question at a news conference pic.twitter.com/91zNJD8gkj
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) July 11, 2019
Wanted to get the part where a guest at a White House function begins walking toward the press and James O’Keefe is filming and Joy Villa is showing off her FREEDOM gown. pic.twitter.com/ZPIXRRVo6K
— Katie Rogers (@katierogers) July 11, 2019
Another reporter asked Gorka why he blocked him on Twitter.
After the @POTUS statement, I queried @SebGorka (former deputy assistant to @POTUS) in the @WhiteHouse Rose Garden about why he blocks so many journalists (including me) on Twitter, despite insisting that people on social media shouldn’t be blocked. Here’s what happened. pic.twitter.com/ujpztNDncb
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) July 11, 2019
Gorka responded on his own Twitter account to the altercation, saying, “These people are not journalists. They’re punks and political saboteurs.”
Nothing like getting a member of the FAKENEWS challenge you to a fight when you’re both standing in the Rose Garden of the @WhiteHouse.
These people are not journalists.
They’re punks and political saboteurs.
FYI: @Uncle_Jimbo has the WHOLE thing on video. pic.twitter.com/GILlRt0Suj
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) July 11, 2019
CNN White House reporter Jim Acosta tweeted how the press were all in the back, with Trump’s guests were in the front.
The scene in the WH Rose Garden. All WH press in the back. Trump’s social media allies in the front rows. pic.twitter.com/wi8m4yW53N
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) July 11, 2019
Responding to a video, Acosta said, “WH officials invited Trump’s social media allies to sit in the Rose Garden. But after the event was over, West Wing aides did nothing when those social media figures began to verbally abuse reporters who were trying to do their jobs.”
WH officials invited Trump’s social media allies to sit in the Rose Garden. But after the event was over, West Wing aides did nothing when those social media figures began to verbally abuse reporters who were trying to do their jobs. A good snapshot of how press is treated by WH. https://t.co/j0Ys542dok
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) July 11, 2019
