McEnany's Husband Told His Side of WH Briefing Room Incident

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s husband broke his silence on Thursday following a string of negative news stories that claimed he shouted from the back of the briefing room and got into a “bickering match” with a photographer for not wearing a mask.

Sean Gilmartin — a relief pitcher who started his career with the New York Mets in 2015 and played for the Tampa Bay Rays last season — made his first appearance in the James S. Brady Briefing Room on Wednesday to support McEnany, but quickly became embroiled in the latest West Wing controversy when a White House pool report claimed he shouted, “You crushed it, Kayleigh!” as his wife left the podium.

The report also said Gilmartin was confronted by veteran New York Times photographer Doug Mills, who “politely pointed out” to McEnany’s mask-less spouse that face coverings are required in the White House press areas before Gilmartin walked out of the room with a staffer.

The report about Gilmartin yelling was later retracted after it emerged that a conservative podcaster was responsible for the incident, but by then the account had already been picked up by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, the Washington Post and the Daily Mail.

Cooper’s “360” program apologized in a tweet after the anchor railed against the incident on air.

The Washington Post also ran with the story, claiming Gilmartin declined to wear a mask after being asked to by Mills, while the Daily Mail said McEnany’s husband got into a “confrontation” and “bickering match” with Mills.

Gilmartin denied the account and said he never spoke to the photographer and would have been happy to wear a mask if asked.

“During the entirety of the briefing, I was never asked to wear a mask by anyone,” Gilmartin told The Post on Thursday.

“When the briefing concluded, a New York Times photographer loudly said to wear a mask next time after I had passed him and when I was a few steps from exiting the room,” he went on.

“There were no words spoken by me in response to his statement. If the photographer had asked me to wear a mask during the two times he passed me during the briefing, I would have happily obliged.”

Several reporters in the room corroborated the account and said there was no confrontation between Mills and Gilmartin.

White House assistant press secretary Harrison Fields, who accompanied Gilmartin into the briefing room, also told The Post that there was no request they wear masks.

“The sensationalist reporting of a verbal altercation is sensationalism and nothing more,” he said.

“This non-story is riddled with inaccuracies and distortions, which unfortunately is par for the course for activist journalists.”