Is Spicer and Priebus Going to Embrace Fake News?
MELISSA MCCARTHY, ACTRESS: I'd just like to announce that I'm calm now. As long as you sons of -- our of -- out of -- boom, Guantanamo Bay. Radical moose lambs. Spicey finally made a mistake. You don't have a chance.</s>CABRERA: We will not soon forget Melissa McCarthy and her role as Spicey on "SNL." But the man she was portraying meantime still trying to figure out his next gig. Outgoing White House press secretary Sean Spicer has reportedly been in meetings with the heads of a number of media organizations all week. Here's the big question. Is he about to embrace the so-called fake news he once railed against?</s>SEAN SPICER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This kind of dishonesty in the media that challenging that bringing out our nation together is making it more difficult. I appreciate your agenda here. But the reality is -- no, no, hold on. No, at some point report the facts. You're shaking your head. I appreciate it. But -- OK, but understand this, that at some point the facts are what they are. He is frustrated like I am and like so many others to see stories come out that are patently false, to see narratives that are wrong, to see, quote-unquote, fake news. When you see stories get perpetrated that are absolutely false, that are -- did not based in fact, that is troubling.</s>CABRERA: Joining us now CNN senior media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter. So, Brian, we have seen a lot of high-profile people go from the West Wing into the media, like George Stephanopoulos, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich for a while, David Axelrod. But this is a little bit different. And we just showed all those clips of Sean Spicer going after the mainstream media. Could he make the leap and still have credibility?</s>BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: I think he will make the leap. But you're right, this time it is different from all those past administrations because of this administration's anti- media attacks. It adds a layer of intrigue to what Spicer and to what Reince Priebus might do next. Heck, any high profile Trump administration official that leaves the White House, leaves the government is going to consider or be pursued for a television job but because of all those so-called fake news attacks it makes it more curious. Spicer was in New York in the past few days, having meetings with most of the major networks. Our viewers might be interested to know CNN management pointedly said we're not interested in hiring Spicer as a contributor. The network didn't say why but I think you can probably connect the dots between those anti-media attacks, the criticism of CNN and other outlets. All of the sort of inaccurate and false statements from the podium. Between that and not wanting to hire him. But he was meeting with FOX and NBC and other networks. And I think it's likely we'll see Spicer in one of those jobs as kind of high-paid, six-figure salary talking head in the weeks to come.</s>CABRERA: Meantime, we just saw Reince Priebus also be shown the door or leave on his own --</s>STELTER: Right.</s>CABRERA: On his freedom.</s>STELTER: Still quite unclear what happened.</s>CABRERA: Yes. We don't know.</s>STELTER: Love to see him talk more about it. We'll see.</s>CABRERA: But there's speculation about where he lands following this. Newt Gingrich tweeted this. "Priebus will go on to a great future either in winning office in Wisconsin or in becoming a national analyst and adviser. He knows a lot." And that last sentence, he knows a lot. I mean, that is the real reason a lot of people are interested in bringing these people on board is to have a little bit more insight. What are the chances Priebus would actually give us more of a glimpse than he did in his exit interview with Wolf Blitzer?</s>STELTER: Right. Exactly. He was still talking at the White House at that point. He was, you know. still in the building literally. Be interesting to see what he would say weeks or months down the line. Normally the options here are, you know, book deal, a television contributor deal, speeches. In the case of Reince Priebus, maybe we're going to see him run for office at some point in the future or return to the RNC, the Republican National Committee, which he was running before joining the White House administration. So he has a number of options. I think he's also going to take his time to figure out what is next. August might be a nice time to have a job change so he can relax for a little bit. Spicer seems a little bit more of a hurry to find the next gig. But it's going be interesting to see where both of those men go and how open they are about both the perils as well as the positives of working at the White House. I do think in both cases it shows how the anti-media rhetoric sort of rings hallow. It exposes this sort of emptiness of all the fake news bashing. And the president for example, he has a fundraising e-mail out this week, a bunch of end-of-month fundraising e-mails, decrying the fake news. So shtick it to CNN by donating to my re-election campaign. All of that kind of -- seems empty when you see folks like Spicer go out looking for a television gig.</s>CABRERA: Isn't that interesting? The irony of all of that.</s>STELTER: And by the way, what's draining the swamp? You know, there's something about the revolving door in Washington which you were describing for decades. George Stephanopoulos in the '90s being an example. Going from the White House to a top job at ABC. This is normal in Washington. But one of the president's promises is to drain the so-called swamp. Maybe decrease some of the coziness, some of the insider nature in Washington. To some extent if Reince Priebus, for example, goes out and gets a million-dollar book deal, doesn't that contradict a little bit of a drain the swamp message?</s>CABRERA: I actually really wonder what the president would think if Sean Spicer ends up on NBC or Reince Priebus gets some kind of a media gig after these attacks that they were a part of.</s>STELTER: Exactly.</s>CABRERA: Now real quick. Page Six throwing out this idea Sean Spicer on "Dancing with the Stars." It sounds maybe a little farfetched like this is just a joke but don't forget, Rick Perry, he's another member of Trump's Cabinet, and he was on "Dancing with the Stars."</s>STELTER: And I'll never forget this video. There he is. Now the secretary of Energy. He has a lot of energy in these clips from a little while back.</s>CABRERA: He actually had some pretty good moves there.</s>STELTER: So I'll go ahead and rule it out. We're not going to see Sean Spicer and Reince Priebus on "Dancing with the Stars."</s>CABRERA: All right.</s>STELTER: I'm more likely to go on "Dancing with the Stars" --</s>CABRERA: Hey, I think he just let it out there.</s>STELTER: And I don't have dancing shoes.</s>CABRERA: I love to see you, Brian. Thanks for coming on.</s>STELTER: Thanks.</s>CABRERA: And coming up, some more outrage at an airport. The traveling stories. A man this time holding a baby is attacked by an employee from an airline. What happened, next. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.