Bret Baier defends press pool in wake of White House fight with AP

Fox News anchor Bret Baier backed the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) amid the ongoing fight between the organization and the Trump administration over control of which outlets are allowed in key White House spaces.

"We support the White House Correspondents' Association, we always have," Baier said during an interview at a media summit hosted by the news outlet Semafor this week. "I just — you know, I worry about setting precedent that changes things down the road, and maybe they don't realize the implications of it."

Baier noted President Trump's top press allies have preached transparency, saying, "You can't argue that this White House isn't answering questions and opening up."

"We stood by the AP. We've signed that letter of the networks' standing by, not blocking somebody for editorial decisions," he added. "I've stood up for CNN when they weren't in a pool."

The White House announced this week that going forward it would decide which outlets are included in the press pool, a small group of journalists who cover the president's daily activities and whose reports are widely used by other media outlets.

For years, the daily press pool was decided by the WHCA, which has condemned the west wing's move, saying it is trying to restrict access to certain media outlets based on coverage.

The decision comes as the administration fights a lawsuit from The Associated Press over its banning of the wire service from key White House spaces in connection with the AP's refusal to change its style to refer to the Gulf of Mexico using Trump's preferred Gulf of America.

More than 40 news organizations, including Fox, have reportedly signed a letter circulated by the WHCA calling for the AP to have its full access reinstated.

Baier, who Semafor Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith called "probably the most influential news anchor in America right now," conceded that the fight between the WHCA and the White House is not near the top of the biggest stories in the country during Trump's first 100 days in office.

"But I will say, telling the story about that is not something people care about in the middle of America," he said. "It's very process-y, very Washington."

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