WASHINGTON, D.C. — White House Principle Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders rebuked a reporter on Thursday for asking if the President is a liar.
Thursday’s off-camera White House press briefing took place during former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony on Capitol Hill. In his testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee Comey repeatedly called and described President Donald Trump a liar.
One reporter asked Sanders, “Former Director Comey essentially said the President lied. Lied to him. Lied about contents of the meetings. Said he didn’t trust the President enough to not record in minute detail, aspects of those meetings — two questions: Is the President a liar as former Director Comey says and is the Director’s testimony truthful to the best of your understanding?
Sanders spoke to just the first question, stating, “No, I can definitely say the President’s not a liar and I think it’s frankly insulting that that question would be asked.”
Concerning the Comey hearing, Sanders repeatedly directed reporters to coming comments from Trump’s personal attorney Marc Kasowitz. Sanders said Kasowitz would give a statement on “all matters” in the Comey hearing at the hearing’s conclusion.
During MSNBC’s coverage of the hearing, “Hardball” host Chris Matthews said, “I think the headlines in terms of wire service coverage he called the president a liar. I think that’s a headline. The reason he memorialized everything, he thought the president would lie about it.”
Sanders wasn’t aware at the time of the briefing if the President had seen much if any of the Comey hearing. Trump spent the morning meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. The men discussed North Korea as well as gulf region issues.
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