Press encouraged to turn up heat on Trump

The national press is renewing its call for even more scrutiny of the incoming Trump administration, and is cheering on reporters who challenge President-elect Trump and his team.

On Monday, New York Times media columnist Jim Rutenberg praised CNN's Jake Tapper for a recent interview in which he pressed Vice President-elect Mike Pence on whether he knew that Gen. Mike Flynn, an adviser to Trump, had sought a security clearance for his adult son. Flynn's son had used social media to spread a false conspiracy theory involving Hillary Clinton.

Tapper had to ask several times before Pence finally allowed that the transition team had filed the "appropriate paperwork" for the security clearance before Trump formally dismissed Flynn's son last week, and Rutenberg said he wants to see more interviews like that.

"If only such moments could stop being so special and start being normal," Rutenberg said of Tapper's interview. He added that "it can mean losing bookings and therefore ratings, given that politicians who face real grilling may be inclined to avoid the kitchens that cooked them — a risk worth taking."

The exchange also earned a positive write-up by the Associated Press' television reporter, David Bauder.