Trump’s envoy tells Lebanese journalists not to be ‘animalistic,’ ties behavior to Middle East’s ‘problem’

Lebanese Presidency Press Office via AP via CNN Newsource

(CNN) — United States Special Envoy Tom Barrack sparked outrage after telling Lebanese journalists to act “civilized,” not “animalistic,” during a news conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday.

Barrack, joined by deputy envoy Morgan Ortagus, was in the Lebanese capital as part of US efforts to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. During the briefing, he scolded the journalists for calling out questions simultaneously – a common practice in news conferences – linking their behavior to what he described as a broader “problem” in the Middle East.

“Please, be quiet for a moment. And I wanna tell you something. The moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone. So, you want to know what’s happening?