Trump Attacks, Then Says He Relies On Press To Vet Nominees

The same day he blamed the “LameStream Media” for causing him to withdraw his nomination for a new director of national intelligence, President Donald Trump said he relies on the press to help vet his nominees for top government jobs.

Trump withdrew his nomination for Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) to take the position, tweeting on Friday that Ratcliffe would be “treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media,” and that it would be “miserable... to deal with these people.”

But later that day, speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said he likes when the press vets his nominees.

“Well no, you vet for me,” Trump said when a reporter asked about the White House’s vetting process. “I like when you vet, no, no, you vet. I think the White House is a great vetting process. You vet for me. When I give a name, I give it out to the press, and you vet for me.”

“A lot of times, you do a very good job, not always,” he continued. “If you take a look at it, the vetting process for the White House is very good, but you’re part of the vetting process, you know? I give out a name to the press, and they vet for me. We save a lot of money that way. But in the case of John, I really believe that he was being treated very harshly and very unfairly.”

Ratcliffe was Trump’s pick to replace outgoing DNI Director Dan Coats, whose resignation Trump announced on Sunday.

Ratcliffe faced criticism for his lack of experience in national security.

Trump has withdrawn at least 62 nominees for government positions, Politico reported, noting that former White House officials have blamed this on his lack of judgment and impulsiveness.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.