The media’s obsession with Natalie Harp, one of President Donald Trump's most trusted aides, continued this week when her presence at work was treated as a newsworthy event.
Harp was dragged into a political firestorm after being name-dropped in a viral stump speech by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., earlier this month. CNN and MS NOW fixated on Harp in the days following Ossoff’s remark, giving much attention to reports of the letters she had written to Trump expressing staunch loyalty and how she joined him on his secret plane switch last month. At the height of the frenzy, CNN even drew backlash for interviewing Harp's estranged brother on air.
CNN White House reporter Alejandra Jaramillo took to social media on Thursday to declare she "spotted" Harp "in the back of the Oval Office." The widely mocked post included a candid photo of Harp standing in the back of the room as the president fielded questions from reporters.
JON OSSOFF'S CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP JAB SPARKS MEDIA FEEDING FRENZY OVER WHITE HOUSE AIDE NATALIE HARP
The post prompted swift criticism from a variety of conservatives, many of whom noted Harp was literally doing her job. One user joked, "Democrat shocked that an employee actually shows up for work," while another joked that it was nice to see "honest reporting" from CNN.
The saga began when Ossoff appeared to suggest that Harp and Trump had an inappropriate relationship, but the Democrat has since attempted to distance himself from the innuendo.
"I’m not quite sure what CNN was attempting to accomplish here," Heritage Foundation media fellow Tim Young told Fox News Digital.
"First of all, they’re showing a White House staffer who is staffing the White House, but ultimately, they are trying to make this false story of Natalie Harp having some illicit affair with Trump come true -- and pretend that Harp would be so embarrassed by it that she would actually ‘still show her face’ in the Oval Office," Young continued. "They’ll deny that that’s their intended goal, but ultimately that’s what they were doing."
CNN, MS NOW HAVE MENTIONED TRUMP AIDE NATALIE HARP HUNDREDS OF TIMES SINCE OSSOFF'S VIRAL JAB
Many others offered their thoughts:
WHITE HOUSE TEARS INTO OSSOFF WITH BRUTAL TAKEDOWN AFTER JAB AT KEY TRUMP AIDE: ‘LIGHTWEIGHT LOSER’
When reached for comment, the White House directed Fox News Digital to an X post from White House communications director Steven Cheung, who pointed out that Jaramillo publicly criticized Trump in 2016.
CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.