American Urban Radio Networks reporter April Ryan pushed back against White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's claim that she is biased, saying Tuesday on MSNBC that she has no political agenda.
Earlier in the afternoon, Spicer clashed with the White House correspondent, saying she was "hellbent on trying to make sure that whatever image you want to tell about this White House stays." At one point Spicer told Ryan to stop shaking her head during his answer, sparking a social media backlash.
Immediately afterwards, Ryan appeared on MSNBC.
"So April, you've got an agenda, you're shaking your head," host Katy Tur joked after playing a clip of the exchange.
"I don't have an agenda, Katy," Ryan insisted.
Tur was quick to defend Ryan.
"To be clear, April Ryan, a 20-year veteran in that press corps, does not have an agenda," she said.
"Nope," Ryan agreed.
Ryan is the same reporter who accused President Donald Trump of making racially-charged statements he never actually made.
"When he was Candidate Trump, he said things like, you know, 'We made this country,' meaning white America, not necessarily black," she said during a February briefing.
"I don't know why you would say that. What do you mean?" Spicer asked.
"No, no, no. He said that. I heard him say that," Ryan said.
When pressed by fellow reporters, Ryan could produce no evidence that Trump had ever said anything of the sort involving race. Nonetheless, she stood by her claims, and appeared to accuse her critics on social media of being bigoted.
Bye social media today. The trolls are out of there caves and their Archie Bunker huts. Lol lol lol
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) February 22, 2017