White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Wednesday brushed aside criticism that the Trump administration is not accessible to the press, saying that such an opinion is "absolutely laughable".
The White House has not held a news conference -- its customary daily one -- for over a month now.
"I take questions from reporters every single day. The idea that this White House isn't accessible to the press is absolutely laughable," Sanders told 'Fox & Friends'.
However, she was noncommittal about the future of White House press briefings.
"We'll see what happens. As the president said yesterday, he doesn't like the decorum in the White House. Look, we are in the business of getting information to the American people, not making stars out of people that want to become contributors on CNN," Sanders said.
The White House Press Secretary has clashed with several high-profile White House reporters in the past, including CNN correspondent Jim Acosta and American Urban Radio Networks correspondent April Ryan, who is also a CNN contributor.
"We are more than happy to take questions, but we think there should be a certain level of decorum and a certain level of honesty and responsibility that comes with that," she said.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump had said he has asked Sanders not to do daily briefings. "The reason Sarah Sanders does not go to the podium much anymore is that the press covers her so rudely & inaccurately, in particular certain members of the press," he tweeted.
"I told her not to bother, the word gets out anyway! Most will never cover us fairly & hence, the term, Fake News!" he said.
The White House Correspondent's Association (WHCA) has criticised the White House for not holding daily press briefings.
"This retreat from transparency and accountability sets a terrible precedent. Being able to question the press secretary or other senior government officials publicly helps the news media tell Americans what their most powerful representatives are doing in their name," WHCA president Olivier Knox said in a statement.
"While other avenues exist to obtain information...briefing briefings can also be good for clearing out the underbrush of news: Is that meeting still on? Does he still plan to travel to X summit? When you're face to face with the president, you're generally more inclined to ask about headline items," he said.
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