White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters at the Tuesday White House press briefing that when they ask the same question repeatedly, it doesn't mean the White House needs to give a different answer.
CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny asked Sanders her fourth question during the briefing about adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
"I still don't know that I understand why the president's response has been so different in this case. On October 13, 2016, he said 'these claims were all fabricated.' The next day he said 'I have no idea who these women are, they're lying.' Mrs. Trump has said 'he would push back ten times as hard, no matter if you're a man or a woman. He treats everyone equal.' Why the silence?" Zeleny asked. "Is someone advising him to be silent or is he following his own–"
Sanders responded by taking a jab at reporters for asking the same question numerous times.
"I don't think it's silent when the president has addressed this. We've addressed it extensively. There's just nothing else to add. Just because you guys continue to ask the same question over and over and over again, doesn't mean that we have to keep coming up with new things to say," Sanders said. "We've addressed it. We addressed it significantly and there's nothing new to add."
News organizations have devoted a significant amount of time to the Stormy Daniels story, according to a new report by Newsbusters.
From March 7 through March 25, during the run-up to porn actress Stephanie Clifford’s (aka, "Stormy Daniels") Sunday night interview with CBS, the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts aired 23 reports about various allegations of sexual impropriety involving President Trump, totaling 40 minutes of airtime.
Most of that time has gone to Daniels (30 minutes, 30 seconds). But all three network evening newscasts also found time to talk about onetime Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal’s claim of an affair with Trump (8 minutes, 13 seconds), while ABC and NBC also gave a combined 77 seconds to the defamation suit brought against the President by former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos, who alleges Trump harassed her in 2007.
The coverage of Stormy Daniels has faced criticism from both conservatives and liberals. Filmmaker Michael Moore and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) accused media outlets of ignoring issues important to voters in order to cover allegations about President Donald Trump's sex life.
The White House has repeatedly denied Daniels' account of the affair, and Trump associates have spoken out to deny key pieces of her story.