CBS reporter Major Garrett riled President Barack Obama on Wednesday, asking why he was "content" to leave four Americans imprisoned by Iran out of the nuclear negotiations.
"Can you tell the country, sir, why you are content, with all of the fanfare around this [nuclear] deal to leave the conscience of this nation, the strength of this nation, unaccounted for, in relation to these four Americans?" Garrett asked,
according to CBS.
"I've got to give you credit, Major, for how you craft those questions," the president began, clearly miffed. "The notion that I am content, as I celebrate with American citizens languishing in Iranian jails — Major, that's nonsense. And you should know better. I've met with the families of some of those folks. Nobody's content, and our diplomats and our teams are working diligently to try to get them out."
The exchange set off heated debates online, with many saying the question was sound journalism, and others saying it crossed the line.
As Mediaite reported, CNN’s Dana Bash said "There’s a fine line between asking a tough question and maybe crossing that line a little bit and being disrespectful, and I think that happened here."
Washington Post blogger Erik Wemple was among those who disagreed with Bash.
"Yes, [Garrett's question] was theatrical. Yes, it was a bit presumptuous. Yes, it laid out a particular case. But it bore in on a critical matter, and one that is all over the news: Why are these Americans still sitting in Iranian prisons while U.S. officials are touting their diplomatic achievements?" he wrote.
Many journalists and citizens took to Twitter to voice their support for Garrett, and at times criticize Bash.
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