A blogger for a right-wing, pro-Trump blog that recently received White House press credentials is claiming that a Fox News correspondent “accosted” him on Friday.
Lucian Wintrich, a writer for Gateway Pundit, sent out Twitter messages and told his blog that Fox reporter Jon Decker confronted him at the White House daily briefing.
“This man accosted me,” Wintrich said. “He pushed me in the back room and then grabbed my arm. He started screaming to the entire press room that I’m a Nazi and the Gateway Pundit is a white supremacist publication.”
On Twitter, Wintrich said the confrontation amounted to an “assault” and said he was pressing charges.
BuzzFeed reporter Adrian Carrasquillo wrote on Twitter that before the briefing took placed, “Fox News Radio John Decker just loudly told everyone in briefing room that Gateway Pundit is here ‘they hate blacks, Jews, Hispanics.'”
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Decker denied that he assaulted Wintrich.
“Earlier today I had a conversation with a representative from the online publication Gateway Pundit,” Decker said. “The conversation was straightforward and direct. I also informed the full White House pool that this representative was present in the Briefing Room. At no time did I accost or assault this individual. More than a dozen witnesses will attest to this fact.”
Decker is a board member of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Jeff Mason, president of the association and a reporter for Reuters, did not return a request for comment.
Gateway Pundit is widely read, despite frequently publishing inaccurate or false information, and many in the media were surprised to see the outlet receive press credentials for the White House.
In February, Wintrich told the New York Times of his plans to cover the White House from the briefing room, “We will be doing a little trolling of the media in general here.”
