Today News Africa reporter Simon Ateba, an actual journalist, interrupted White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s star-studded Monday briefing.
If you guessed the ladies of ABC’s “The View” chose the side of the inept White House administration over a foreign reporter who demands accountability where American reporters do not, you were right.
Responses to Ateba’s viral outburst from the show were low, crude and, according to the reporter himself, not based in fact.
Jean-Pierre welcomed the cast of the Apple TV+ comedy-drama “Ted Lasso” to her daily briefing before the actors eventually met with first lady Jill Biden and her husband, President Joe Biden.
The actors discussed mental health initiatives with the president.
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Ateba, who has been ignored by Jean-Pierre for seven months, crashed the party and was talked down to by his colleagues in the media and by the press secretary.
At one point, he shouted at Jean-Pierre, “You’re making a mockery of the First Amendment!”
The cast of Ted Lasso is at the White House Press Briefing and it began with @simonateba telling Jean-Pierre “you’re making a mockery of the First Amendment.” pic.twitter.com/PxZnRBvTWI
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 20, 2023
Do you think Jen Psaki was a better press secretary?
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It was chaotic, but so is the democratic process. In any event, the left-wing activists on ABC launched a series of deeply personal attacks against Ateba on Tuesday morning.
Joy Behar, who has apparently never seen most of the people in the White House Press Corps, had the audacity to describe Ateba as not a “serious journalist.”
She also accused him of writing an open letter to a Nigerian actress who once appeared topless. Behar claimed Ateba told her she was too ugly to take her shirt off.
From there, Sunny Hostin characterized the reporter as a “horrible” human being.
“He’s clearly a horrible person, and maybe shouldn’t be in the White House briefing room,” Hostin said. “However, he does have what’s called a hard pass, I believe. Which means he doesn’t have a seat assigned, so when other people don’t show up, he gets to ask questions.”
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Hostin also used Ateba as an excuse for an attack on Fox News.
The native of Cameroon was then slammed by Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines and faux-conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin.
He defiantly defended himself from their attacks, especially their charges of sexism, on Twitter after hearing he was the talk of ABC.
He specifically took issue with Behar’s claim he told a woman she was not attractive enough to bare it all on film.
WARNING: The following tweet contains language some may find offensive.
BREAKING – DISGRACEFUL: @TheView attacks me. @JoyVBehar reads a post I never wrote. I have never written anything about a ‘woman’s fat ass! @Alyssafarah @sarahaines and Whoopi Goldberg berate me without checking my background. Only @sunny said something that was sensible. About… pic.twitter.com/8f8mTbSAOr
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) March 21, 2023
It is noteworthy that a week ago, Ateba reminded Twitter of his harrowing background.
Attacked by pirates on the Gulf of Guinea with an AK47 to my head, kidnapped in Nigeria, dumped in the woods & left for dead, arrested in Cameroon during investigation & kept in dark cell only to be sidelined at the White House. This is how Tucker Carlson introduced me to America pic.twitter.com/bOLujRzKfi
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) January 14, 2023
Ateba is loathed by the establishment media, “The View” and Jean-Pierre, which actually makes him quite endearing.
With enemies like that, what’s not to like about him?
