Panicked White House shuts off cameras, shuts out major news outlets from briefing

Donald Trump’s administration has been caught attempting to collude with the FBI to quash a story about the Trump campaign’s communications with Russia, and they have escalated their response to include a press blackout. At noon on Friday, the following update was made to the White House’s daily press schedule (via email from The White House):

UPDATE: The President will now sign the Executive Order at 12:00PM in the Oval Office. The President will now tape his Weekly Address at 4:00PM in the Oval Office. The gaggle with Press Secretary Sean Spicer will now be expanded pool and off-camera at 1:30PM.

Spicer was initially scheduled to hold an on-camera briefing at 1:15, which was open to all members of the press. As it turns out, though, the White House’s definition of an “expanded pool” actually means hand-picking outlets that exclude longstanding members of the White House press pool:

Just in: @CNN @nytimes @Politico & others blocked from attending White House gaggle with @PressSec. WH has so far offered no explanation

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) February 24, 2017

CNN is reporting that in addition to those organizations that were excluded, organizations like The Associated Press and Time Magazine are boycotting the briefing, as well. Reaction by journalists was swift and blistering:

CNN was blocked from WH @PressSec's media gaggle today. This is our response: pic.twitter.com/8SfY2uYKEI

— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) February 24, 2017

Can’t remember any press secretary from Clinton, Bush or Obama canceling briefing and handpicking small group for gaggle. @PressSec

— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) February 24, 2017

Today's briefing was scheduled as an off-camera "gaggle" in Spicer's office; physical entry into Room denied. New low in press relations

— Paul Brandus (and on Mastodon) (@WestWingReport) February 24, 2017

Why Spicer wants hand-picked gaggle: 1) avoid on-camera goof 2) Trump can't watch a gaggle 3) get press to 'whine' 4) sow internal strife

— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) February 24, 2017

Congratulations to @AP and @TIME for boycotting today’s White House gaggle in protest of exclusion of other media.

— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) February 24, 2017

As Peter Baker noted, this kind of move is completely unprecedented, and is a sure sign of a White House that is in crisis mode, and that thinks it can get away with anything. The resistance they have been encountering says otherwise, and they have just added most of the White House press corps to that resistance.