Spicer: White House ‘disgusted by CNN’s fake news’
White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Friday blasted CNN for its reporting on an unverified dossier alleging that the Russian government has compromising information about President Trump.
“We continue to be disgusted by CNN’s fake news reporting,” he told the news network when contacted about its latest report Friday.
CNN said Spicer later called the network back to add to his criticism.
“It is about time CNN focused on the success the President has had bringing back jobs, protecting the nation, and strengthening relationships with Japan and other nations,” Spicer said. “The president won the [2016] election because of his vision and message for the nation. This is fake news.”
CNN reported earlier Friday that it had confirmed some of the communications between foreign nationals detailed in the 35-page dossier with multiple current and former U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials.
The items that were corroborated related solely to conversations between foreign nationals. But sources would not verify which specific conversations were intercepted or their content due to the classified nature of U.S. intelligence gathering programs.
The dossier contains about 12 discussions between senior Russian officials and other Russian individuals, it said. CNN could not determine if any those talks discussed then GOP-presidential nominee Trump.
CNN’s sources did affirm some of the described conversations took place on the same dates and from the same locations as listed in the dossier.
U.S. intelligence officials emphasized the conversations were solely between foreign nationals, including those in or tied to the Russian government, and intercepted during routine intelligence gathering.
Two officials told CNN some of the individuals whose conversations were captured were “heavily involved” in collecting information to discredit 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
CNN added that officials could not decide whether the Kremlin possesses any compromising information relating to Trump.
BuzzFeed first published the controversial document, which has not been substantiated, before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
Trump blasted BuzzFeed as a “failing pile of garbage” in January over the dossier, which alleges Russia’s government has acquired compromising financial and personal information about him.
The president also began slamming CNN as “fake news” during the same press conference after it reported intelligence officials had briefed him over its unsubstantiated contents.
(h/t The Hill)
Media
CNN’s Report
Sean Spicer’s Response