Donald Trump spoke briefly this afternoon about the suspicious devices that were sent to several prominent Democrats, as well as CNN. But what an odd two-minute statement!  First, he let Melania Trump speak before him. She talked briefly about the devices, then moved on to a statement about opioids. Once it was the President’s turn he delivered a prepared statement that didn’t mention CNN at all. Here is part of what he said (watch his full remarks on this above):

“I’d like to begin today’s remarks by providing an update on the suspicious packages and devices mailed to current and former high-ranking government officials. 

The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority. I have just concluded a briefing with the FBI, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Secret Service. As we speak, the packages are being inspected by top explosive experts and a major federal investigation is now underway. The full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice. We will spare no resources or expense in this effort.”

Meanwhile, New York City’s mayor gave a much stronger statement labeling these coordinated incidents an “act of terror.”

After Trump made his statement, Carrie Cordero, a National Security Analyst on CNN said:

“I thought it was the absolute bare minimum that the American people could expect from the president to say given the circumstances of multiple devices being sent to former presidents, prominent people, and former administration officials and the news media and CNN. So I thought it was the bare minimum. I thought he should have spoken first. It would have been more appropriate to have him come out first given that the entire morning has been spent watching the CNN news bureau out from their office in New York and reporting from a street corner. I think that would have been more appropriate. but it also is hard to ignore the fact that the president, — everybody knows that the president is the one who has contributed and is the primary proponent behind the american political discourse.”

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also omitted CNN in her first official statement on this on Twitter. After criticism arose about it, she added a second statement mentioning the cable network.

The omission didn’t go unnoticed by CNN President Jeff Zucker, the man who oversaw Trump’s NBC show, The Apprentice. Zucker released this strongly worded statement.

Here’s an updated list on where the devices were sent/received:

  • Hillary and Bill Clinton (Chappaqua, NY)
  • Barack Obama (Washington DC)
  • CNN (addressed to former CIA director John Brennan)
  • George Soros (Bedford, NY)
  • Rep. Maxine Waters (Congressional mail facility)
  • Former Attorney General Eric Holder (with a return address for Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, ended up being returned to her FL address)