re: Jim Acosta is in meltdown. Trump must've knocked it out of the park

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I guess Jimmy is still sore from the double fisting he received yesterday from Keyleigh

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Jim, I haven’t seen you in a few weeks. I’m glad you’re back.

Q Yeah. Thanks. Kayleigh, why is the White House trashing Dr. Fauci and sending out opposition research, like memos, to reporters?

The President has gone off on anonymous sources in the past. Why not have the guts to trash Dr. Fauci with your own names?

MS. MCENANY: So, President Trump — I’ll refer you back. There is no opposition research being dumped to reporters. We were asked a very specific question by the Washington Post, and that question was President Trump noted that Dr. Fauci had made some mistakes, and we provided a direct answer to what was a direct question.

Q Hasn’t the President made mistakes? He suggested at one point that Americans inject themselves with disinfectants, that sort of thing. Why not send out these notes to reporters, about what Dr. Fauci said in the past, with your names on it? They were sent out by a White House official. The President has said he doesn’t trust anonymous sources, and yet you were sending out these notes to reporters, anonymously.

MS. MCENANY: Look, I would note that in terms of the President and his record on coronavirus, he stands by the actions and the steps he’s taken in this historic response. You have Dr. Fauci who said that “the record of this President is impressive. I can’t imagine that, under any circumstance, that anybody could be doing more.” And those are the words of Dr. Fauci.

We provided a direct response to a direct question, and that’s about it. And to the notion that there’s opposition research and that there’s Fauci versus the President, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Dr. Fauci and the President have always had a very good working relationship.

Q And on just a separate subject, very quickly: Does the President or the administration plan to make it very clear to the Russian Federation that there should not be bounties placed on the heads of American soldiers serving in Afghanistan?

MS. MCENANY: We make that clear each and every day to every country around the world that this President will always stand by our law enforcement. No one has been tougher on Russia. What you’re —

Q Not law enforcement. I’m talking about military soldiers.

MS. MCENANY: What you’re talking —

Q U.S. forces overseas.

MS. MCENANY: Yes, of course. That’s what I’m saying. Our U.S. forces.

Q Not just any country. The Russians. Will you tell the Kremlin and President Putin —

MS. MCENANY: Each and every country. But what you’re getting at —

Q — not to put bounties on the heads of American soldiers?

MS. MCENANY: Of course. We tell each and every country that. But what you’re getting at is uncorroborated intelligence, and you’re treating it as if it were true. To this day, there are varying views on the Russian bounty intelligence — DOD, NSC, and the ODNI all pointing that out.

You know, I’m not going to answer a question based on unverified intelligence, but rest assured, every country in this world is put on notice that bounties on the heads of U.S. troops is unacceptable, and this President will stand for U.S. troops at home and abroad.

Q Including the Kremlin? Including the Russians?

MS. MCENANY: Yes.

Q Thank you, Kayleigh. Another — mentioned a quote from Dr. Fauci — another quote from him:
“When you compare us to other countries, I don’t think you can say we’re doing great.” Is there any reaction to that from the White House?

MS. MCENANY: When you compare us to other countries, we have the most testing in the world. When you compare us to other countries on case fatality rate, other industrialized nations, we’re very low and beating most countries, if not all, in Europe.

So we’re doing a lot on the world stage and a lot right. Noted that we were supposed to have a ventilator shortage, and as it turned out, the U.S. actually sent ventilators all around the world. So the U.S. response has been historic. And by several metrics, including the three I just mentioned, we’re beating the rest of the world.

Q Is Anthony Fauci —

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