CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta sent an unsolicited vulgar message to a former White House staffer late Thursday night.
Justin Caporale, to whom Acosta sent the message, is a former director of operations for First Lady Melania Trump.
Caporale mocked one of Acosta’s tweets about a rally President Donald Trump attended that night in Montana. Acosta expressed concern that the music was too loud. Noting it was loud enough to disrupt journalists’ efforts to do live television spots, he wondered whether it was disrupting Secret Service and law enforcement present at the event.
In response, Caporale tweeted "Dear Diary….."
https://twitter.com/justincap_/status/1053113587080851456
Caporale's comment is part of a genre of tweets mocking Acosta’s tone, content, and syntax.
Fun game: Try to preface any Jim Acosta tweet with the words "Dear diary," https://t.co/zAFcfFD3eW
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) June 29, 2018
Dear Diary, https://t.co/QJCV6CMNkD
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) June 29, 2018
Dear diary, https://t.co/kruMBlD1lI
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) June 29, 2018
Shortly after Caporale’s contribution to the meme, Acosta messaged Caporale directly on Twitter. "Fuck you," Acosta wrote. Caporale shared a screenshot of the "exchange."
https://twitter.com/justincap_/status/1053130150102134785
Caporale made clear that he expected an apology from Acosta. The CNN reporter provided one around 2 a.m., claiming he mistook Caporale for an "old friend." In a Tweet addressed "Hey buddy," Acosta said he was "so sorry" for the message.
Hey buddy I thought you were an old friend from the campaign days. I’m so sorry. Hope I didn’t offend you. Have a good night and take care. https://t.co/4u9fj1BNPI
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 19, 2018
Acosta had also blocked his "old friend" on Twitter after the exchange.
https://twitter.com/justincap_/status/1053170442758963201
Acosta saying "Fuck you" to the former Trump official follows months of combative exchanges between Acosta and the administration. He has repeatedly interrupted other journalists trying to ask questions, prompting denouncements of "fake news" from Trump. In another incident, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that a scheduled CNN interview with National Security Advisor John Bolton had been cancelled because of Acosta's "disrespectful" behavior towards the president.
CNN promoted Acosta to chief White House correspondent in January of this year.