CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta sent a direct message to a Twitter follower that read "F--- you" after being mocked on the social media platform on Thursday night.
Direct messages can only be seen by the sender and receiver, but Justin Caporale, a former aide to first lady Melania Trump
Melania TrumpThe Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump takes gamble on new China tariffs The Hill's Morning Report — Trump escalates trade war with China as talks continue John Kelly: Trump 'both sides' comments might have not been 'articulated properly' MORE, made Acosta's message public by tweeting it to his own followers.
The response came after Caporale jokingly responded to an Acosta tweet reporting on a rally in Montana featuring President Trump
Donald John TrumpTrump officials considering using court-ordered removals to deport migrant families: report Dem senator calls for Senate to investigate Giuliani's planned Ukraine trip Ocasio-Cortez says 'vote your values' after finding Trump supporter sign outside office MORE on Thursday.
"Tonight the Trump campaign/WH turned up the music so loud the press risers were vibrating," wrote Acosta. "Nearly impossible to do live TV. I suppose the WH loves those kinds of shenanigans. But I wonder if it’s a security concern for [United States Secret Service] or local law enforcement. They can’t hear either."
Tonight the Trump campaign/WH turned up the music so loud the press risers were vibrating. Nearly impossible to do live TV. I suppose the WH loves those kinds of shenanigans. But I wonder if it’s a security concern for USSS or local law enforcement. They can’t hear either.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 19, 2018
Caporale responded by writing "Dear Diary..." in an attempt to mock Acosta.
Dear Diary.....
— justin (@justincap_) October 19, 2018
“Fuck you,” Acosta wrote to Caporale, using Twitter's private direct message option.
Caporale, who resigned as the first lady's director of operations in March, then shared Acosta's message on Twitter.
He also allowed a reporter from the Daily Caller, Peter J. Hasson, to log on to his Twitter account and verify the message.
.@justincap_ allowed me to log into his account and view the message. Here's a screenshot I took pic.twitter.com/r4F6EpbQAH
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) October 19, 2018
After reports began to surface of Acosta's message to Caporale, the reporter publicly apologized while stating he thought Caporale was "an old friend from the campaign days."
"Hey buddy I thought you were an old friend from the campaign days. I’m so sorry. Hope I didn’t offend you. Have a good night and take care," Acosta wrote.
Hey buddy I thought you were an old friend from the campaign days. I’m so sorry. Hope I didn’t offend you. Have a good night and take care. https://t.co/4u9fj1BNPI
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 19, 2018
Acosta was promoted to chief White House correspondent by CNN earlier this year.
