Fox News’ chief White House correspondent John Roberts quarreled with deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders as he exited Tuesday’s White House press briefing early.
“John Roberts is bored today, he’s headed out,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders jested as the reporter was exiting the briefing room.
“If it were on camera, I might not be,” Roberts shot back.
The Trump administration has received pushback over holding off-camera press briefings. Roberts’ comment was met with a mixture of groans and chuckles from those in the briefing room.
Roberts then took to Twitter to explain that it was necessary for him to leave the briefing to go on camera; he added that had the press briefing been on camera, he wouldn’t have had to leave early.
To all who are musing over me leaving the @SHSanders45 Briefing…I have a live shot. Had the brief been on camera, it would 1/2
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) July 18, 2017
Would have been on TV, not me. I would have waited until it was over.
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) July 18, 2017
Fox News’ Shep Smith noted that Roberts “came outside to be with us” after he played the audio of Sanders’ criticizing Roberts for leaving early.
