On Tuesday, as White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders walked out of the press briefing room amid shouted questions from reporters, one ignored inquiry stood out above the rest.
“Does this administration think that slavery was wrong?”
The question came from April Ryan, a CNN political analyst and White House correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks. Her question stemmed from comments the White House chief of staff made earlier this week, claiming the Civil War started because of a lack of an ability to come to a comprise. Those remarks from retired Gen. John Kelly ignored the fact that the Civil War began because the North and the South couldn’t come to an agreement on slavery.
Ryan tried to ask the question again on Wednesday, which led to a contentious back-and-forth with Sanders. Ryan initially asked what the White House thinks is the definition of compromise as it relates to slavery and the Civil War.
“Look, I’m not going to get in and relitigate the Civil War. Like I told you yesterday, I think I’ve addressed the concerns that a lot of people had and the questions that you had and I’m not going to relitigate history here.”
Ryan pressed again: “But my question was still lingering when you left, so I’m going to ask the question again,” she said. Sanders cut her off, telling her to not ask it in a way that “you’re apparently accusing me of being.”
Ryan asked, flat out, whether the President and administration believes slavery is wrong. Sanders rolled her eyes.
“And before you answer,” Ryan said. “Mary Frances Berry, historian, said in 1860 there was a compromise. The compromise was to have southern states keep slavery, but the Confederacy fired on Fort Sumter that caused the Civil War and because of the Civil War, what happened, the North won—.”
Sanders cut her off.
“I think it’s disgusting and absurd to suggest that anyone inside of this building would support slavery,” she said, moving on to another reporter.
