The Los Angeles Times mocks White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s appearance in a new column by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and cartoonist David Horsey.
(Update: Horsey has apologized and withdrawn the insult. See here.)
Horsey’s column, “Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the right mouthpiece for a truth-twisting president,” accuses Sanders of lying on behalf of the president, and is accompanied by a cartoon of the press secretary in a fascist-style uniform uttering the Orwellian phrases: “War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. Paul Manafort is Hillary Clinton.” A caption at top left refers to Sanders as “Big Mother.”
As for the text, Horsey chose to lead his column with an attack on Sanders’s appearance. And the Times editors chose to print it.
Horsey begins:
Sarah Huckabee Sanders does not look like the kind of woman Donald Trumpwould choose as his chief spokesperson. Much like Roger Ailes when he was stocking the Fox News lineup with blond Barbie dolls in short, tight skirts, the president has generally exhibited a preference for sleek beauties with long legs and stiletto heels to represent his interests and act as his arm candy.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka and wife Melania are the apotheosis of this type. By comparison, Sanders looks more like a slightly chunky soccer mom who organizes snacks for the kids’ games. Rather than the fake eyelashes and formal dresses she puts on for news briefings, Sanders seems as if she’d be more comfortable in sweats and running shoes. Yet, even if Trump privately wishes he had a supermodel for a press secretary, he is lucky to have Sanders.
In a recent editorial on the dozens of allegations of sexual harassment against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, the Times admonished: “All businesses, including those here in Hollywood, should confront their demons.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.