Trump administration accused of behaving like authoritarian regime after revoking CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s credentials and sharing suspicious video

The Trump administration was accused of behaving like an authoritarian regime after revoking CNN reporter Jim Acosta's credentials and sharing an edited video originally posted by a well-known conspiracy theorist to defend its actions.

Acosta, who has a long history of butting heads with the Trump administration, had his credentials revoked after a heated exchange with President Donald Trump at a press conference on Wednesday.

Acosta asked Trump about his comments on a migrant caravan headed toward the US and whether his characterization of the migrants as an "invasion" was hyperbolic.

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At one point during the exchange, a White House aide attempted to remove the microphone from Acosta's hand, but he refused to let go.

The White House claimed Acosta placed his hands on the aide, a young woman, to justify revoking his credentials.

"The question is: did the reporter make contact or not? The video is clear, he did. We stand by our statement," Sanders told reporters.

"Journalists may use a range of approaches to carry out their jobs and the WHCA does not police the tone or frequency of the questions its members ask of powerful senior government officials, including the President," Knox said in a statement. "Such interactions, however uncomfortable they may appear to be, help define the strength of our national institutions."

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press described the move as " target="_blank"clearly inappropriate" and an "unprecedented" form of punishment, urging the White House to reinstate Acosta's credential immediately.

It further accused Sanders of falsely describing the exchange, characterizing her approach to the incident as "insulting not only to the nation’s journalists, but to its people."

"The founders of our country knew there would be tension between our leaders and our journalists. In fact, they designed our system that way, knowing that a free and assertive press is the best defense against tyranny," the group said in a statement.

Some reporters and national security experts accused the White House of behavior akin to autocratic regimes.

"Fake videos are things we used to ascribe to Russia and other autocracies, not the American White House," Steven L. Hall, the former CIA chief of Russia operations, tweeted on Thursday.

Similarly, New York Times reporter Melissa Chan tweeted: "

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The video was originally shared by Paul Joseph Watson, an editor-at-large for Infowars.com, a far-right conspiracy outlet. Content from Infowars has been banned from almost every major tech content distributor, including Apple, Facebook, Spotify, and YouTube, for violating their policies on hate speech.

Acosta does not appear to intentionally push the White House aide in the original news footage, and video shows him stating " target="_blank"pardon me, ma'am" as she attempted to grab the mic.

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The video Watson and Sanders shared, however, was distorted in a way that seemingly speeds up the clip to make it look as though Acosta forcefully pushed the aide's arm.

Acosta told CNN's Anderson Cooper he did not touch the White House aide in any way.

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Trump administration accused of behaving like authoritarian regime after revoking CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s credentials and sharing suspicious video

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