White House aide Stephen Miller has threatened CNN with a defamation lawsuit following a heated exchange with anchor Jim Acosta during a press briefing. The confrontation occurred on Wednesday as Miller defended the RAISE Act, a bill that would halve legal immigration to the US.
Acosta questioned whether the bill violated the spirit of the poem 'The New Colossus' on the Statue of Liberty, which includes the line 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.' Miller countered that the poem was added later and was not part of the original statue, then challenged Acosta on what level of immigration would violate his 'Statue of Liberty law of the land.'
Miller later accused Acosta of having a 'cosmopolitan bias' and called his questions about the bill's impact on racial composition 'outrageous, insulting, ignorant and foolish.' He apologised before leaving the lectern, saying 'things got heated,' but added that Acosta had made 'some pretty rough insinuations.'
Following the briefing, Miller threatened legal action against CNN, alleging defamation. The network has not yet responded to the threat.
