Trump Slams Media For Concocting White House Official Who Actually Ran White House Briefing
President Donald Trump attacked The New York Times in a tweet Saturday, claiming the paper made up a “senior White House official” for its story about the canceled North Korea summit. The official, a member of Trump’s National Security Council, actually does exist and led a briefing at the White House on Thursday for reporters.
The White House even provided its own transcript of the briefing that Trump essentially dismissed as fake news.
As is often the case on such background briefings, the official asked not to be identified by name and instead be referred to as a “senior White House official,” according to several witnesses who saw the briefing in person or listened to it over the phone.
But, after his own official provided the briefing, Trump complained that the Times story referred to a White House official “who doesn’t exist.”
“Use real people, not phony sources,” he wrote.
The Failing @nytimes quotes “a senior White House official,” who doesn’t exist, as saying “even if the meeting were reinstated, holding it on June 12 would be impossible, given the lack of time and the amount of planning needed.” WRONG AGAIN! Use real people, not phony sources.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2018
Several news outlets responding to Trump’s tweet named the official and some even posted audio of the briefing he provided. Trump did not correct his tweet, nor apologize. The tweet was still live Saturday night.
The Times reported the official said that relaunching the now-canceled North Korea summit on the originally scheduled date would be impossible. The official didn’t use that word, but indicated that there was far too much preparation required to make a June 12 meeting possible.
“There’s a certain amount of actual dialogue that needs to take place at the working level with your counterparts to ensure that the agenda is clear ... and June 12 is in 10 minutes, and it’s going to be – you know,” said the official, according to the White House transcript.
Journalists were irritated:
The president of the United States is now claiming that his own White House briefings are fake news and that an official his White House put in the briefing room "doesn't exist." https://t.co/ozT6QMhEsM
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) May 26, 2018
For those keeping track >>> A first even in annals of Trump admin: president claiming own staff gave fake and nonexistent briefing.
— Susan Glasser (@sbg1) May 26, 2018
Respected news organizations don't make up sources. This is someone who works for you, Mr. President. https://t.co/J7S8lMj8Wa
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) May 26, 2018
I was there. This was a background briefing given by a senior administration official in the briefing room! POTUS either has no idea what his own administration is doing, has lost his mind, doesn't care, all of the above and is such a liar he can't remember the last lie he told. https://t.co/0SOcLd3218
— Brian J. Karem (@BrianKarem) May 26, 2018
I was on this briefing call with a (very real) senior WH official, and at one point got disconnected. When I got back on, it said there were 240+ people on the line.
That's a lot of people to make up a phony official "who doesn't exist." https://t.co/YZzN21UdYa— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) May 26, 2018
I mean, every reporter on the call knows who this official was, and this official exists. And we all heard the official say it. https://t.co/iEiTEpHeyb
— Mike Warren (@MichaelRWarren) May 26, 2018
I think we can agree that when you send out an official to conduct a background briefing, then not only deny that the official said something but also deny that the official even exists, you have blown up the terms of said briefing. https://t.co/qqVfbqNaTh
— Robert Draper (@DraperRobert) May 26, 2018
This is a good example of why, at pretty much every background briefing, you'll hear an AP reporter ask why it's being held on background/why it's not on record. https://t.co/EYkrUszieZ
— Jill Colvin (@colvinj) May 26, 2018
The WH argument when POTUS contradicts official line is typically “Well we gave you the best info we had at the time.” But here POTUS said the official doesn’t exist and NYT made it up — that’s demonstrably false. Will WH admit that? I highly doubt it.
— Matthew Nussbaum (@MatthewNussbaum) May 26, 2018
It’s a lie. Say LIE.
— TW Polk (@twpolk) May 26, 2018
Trump told two demonstrable falsehoods this AM, one about his administration’s policy of separating undocumented immigrant kids inclu infants from their parents, which he tried to claim wasn’t his own policy. The other was falsely claiming his own aide didn’t give a bg briefing.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 26, 2018
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.