Things sure are changing in the White House press corps. According to a video posted on Wednesday, radio show host Alex Jones’s website Infowars, which has been accused of being "conspiracy theory and alt-right" by much of the established media, has been offered White House press credentials.
In the clip Jones explains:
Here’s the deal, I know I get White House credentials, we’ve already been offered them, we’re going to get them, but I’ve just got to spend the money to send somebody there. I want to make sure it’s even worth it. I don’t want to just sit there up there like ‘m in the media, look our people are there.’ People don’t understand this paradigm, we’re devolving in a good way, power from the federal government back to the people, back from the centralized MSM to the people, just like Trump said in his speech.
On Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that four "Skype seats" would be made available to some journalists who are outside of a 50-mile radius of Washington, D.C.. It is not known when the Skype seats will be deployed during daily press briefings.
He contined:
“[Trump]) keeps saying CNN is fake, and I'm not going to any of your fake news. What’s CNN doing in the front row, when [White House press secretary Sean] Spicer keeps going to them? And then the reporter yesterday goes, “Oh, maybe Trump wasn’t even elected. That’s why you say there’s fraud.” So they’re like little kids up there. These aren’t real journalists. Meanwhile, it’s just crazy, you should see Breitbart and Drudge, and also just reporters that are known to tell the truth from mainstream, whatever, promoted and put up at the front of those briefings, to bring up real questions, not just a battle where they’re just attacking with fricking lies"
Jones, a supporter of President Trump, is the owner and operator of popular web sites Infowars.com and PrisonPlanet.com. He is also the author of "9-11 Descent Into Tyranny" and "The Answer to 1984 is 1776."
The White House has not confirmed Jones' statement.
Meanwhile, members of the press on the opposite ideological spectrum were quick to mock the announcement, starting with Salon which said "Truthers in the briefing room: Alex Jones claims Infowars has been offered White House credentials. Donald Trump has long been cozy with the notorious conspiracy theorist, and now it seems to be paying off"
Trump and Jones have a relationship going back a long time. Despite being notorious for claiming that major American tragedies were actually part of sinister government-orchestrated conspiracies — including the Oklahoma City bombings, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Sandy Hook elementary school shootings and the Boston Marathon bombing — Trump has appeared on Jones’ show, even saying, “Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down.”
Trump has also adopted many of Jones’ own beliefs when they’re politically convenient for him, such as his current claim that he would have won the popular vote had it not been for undocumented immigrants.
One thing is certain: should InfoWars have a presence during the daily boring White House pressers, it will certainly boost their Nielsen ratings overnight, something which to the ad-savvy president is surely first and foremost on his mind.