WH mocks CNN as 'Chicken News Network' after Stephen Miller claims they won't interview him

WASHINGTON, DC: The White House and CNN became embroiled in a public dispute this week after officials accused the network of refusing to host White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller for on-air interviews.

For several days, the officials of this administration alleged that the network was too "scared" to platform Miller.

White House says CNN is 'scared' to host Stephen Miller

On Thursday, December 11, the White House accused CNN of refusing to platform Miller. 

“DAY 3: The White House has again made Stephen Miller @StephenM available to CNN for a third day (any time, any show, any topic). They have declined, presumably because they are scared Stephen will school them and call out Fake News,” claimed White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung in a social media post. He dubbed CNN, "Chicken News Network."

Vice President JD Vance also lashed out at the network, writing, “If CNN wants to be a real news network, it should feature important voices from our administration.”

Stephen Miller claims CNN said they 'will not take him for any show on any topic'

Appearing on Fox News on Wednesday, Miller told the host Sean Hannity that he had been banned from appearing on CNN, a claim the network denied. 

Miller said, "So, this is a completely true story. So, over the last few days, our brilliant White House Communications shop has reached out to CNN, which, of course, is running one fake news hit piece after another, and they said, 'Stephen Miller would like to come on your network to rebut any of these lies.' And they asked, 'What show?' They said, 'Stephen Miller will do any show from dawn to dusk.' They said, 'What topic?'"

"The White House said, 'Stephen is available to discuss any topic with any host at any time. As far as you’re concerned, Stephen has no scheduling conflicts at all. He will make himself available from the first hour of air to the last hour of air on any subject.' And CNN’s response was, 'We will not take him, period, for any show on any topic,'" he added. 

The last time Miller appeared on the network was in October, when he clashed with anchor Boris Sanchez over President Donald Trump’s National Guard deployments.

CNN rejects claim

On Thursday, CNN released a statement insisting that Miller was “welcome to come on our air” after the White House accused the network of being too “scared” to have Miller on as a guest.

Responding to both Cheung and Vance in the statement, CNN said, “Members of the administration, including Stephen Miller, are welcome to come on our air. As a news organization, we make editorial decisions about the stories we cover and when, and that depends on the news priorities of the day.We look forward to having Stephen on again in the future as the news warrants.”