STUART VARNEY (CO-HOST): Jim Acosta is a disgrace to the White House press corps and a disgrace to CNN, the network that he works for. I got a personal interest in this. Along with my colleague Lou Dobbs, I was one of the founders when CNN first went on the air in June 1980. We played it dead straight. We did not take sides. Just the news, that was our mantra back then. And look at them now. Acosta rudely confronted the president, he interrupted him, refused to stand down and refused to surrender the microphone. He struggled with a young White House intern. It was an awful display, shameful, frankly. This is not what a White House reporter should be doing. The function of a press conference is to ask questions, not to engage in contentious debate with president of the United States. The press should not be an opposition party but that's what it's become. A rude and unruly press corps seems to believe it's their job to bring down Trump's presidency. 

They are clearly contemptuous of him, even though this president gives him unprecedented access. When was the last time you saw any president answer any and all questions frequently? Only Trump does that, and still they treat him with contempt. From here on out, the president should insist, one respectful question at a time. No more of these multiple follow-ups. No more interrupting and no more arguing. When Lou Dobbs and I started CNN, Jimmy Carter was president. Now, I for one didn't care much for his policies. But there was never a question of treating the president with anything but respect, respect for him, and respect for the office. A rabid White House press corps should return to civil discourse, to hard but respectful questioning. They should but they won't. And journalism as a profession will continue its sorry decline.

Previously: 

Fox's Chris Wallace attacks CNN reporter: “Acosta's behavior was shameful” while questioning Trump

Fox Business' Trish Regan asks attorney to use her background in sexual assault cases to assess CNN’s Jim Acosta refusal to give up microphone

After Trump supporters harassed Jim Acosta, Sean Spicer says Acosta deserved it