The Trump administration has a problem with anonymous sources and the media outlets who run stories based entirely on them. This, in the White House’s view, is how unfair and untrue narratives about the Trump campaign’s nefarious connections with Russia persist. “People start taking things as fact because a series of off-the-record, anonymous sources say they [are],” press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday. “At some point, I would ask people to take on-the-record sources and quotes as important as the countless numbers of anonymous and off-the-record [sources].”
It’s a fair point. So why doesn’t the same apply to the administration’s own defense of President Trump’s claim he was wiretapped by President Obama?
Anonymous Sources for Me, Not for Thee
I asked Spicer at his off-camera gaggle with reporters at the White House Monday: “What is…the sourcing for the president’s tweet on Saturday morning?”
“I think he’s made it clear there are continued reports that have been out there,” Spicer replied. “I think there is substantial reporting out there from individuals and sources.”
“But what sources?” I asked again.
“The answer is that the president has made it clear he wants Congress to look into this, and we’re encouraging the House and Senate intelligence committees to do their, use their oversight capabilities and look into this,” Spicer said.
I also pressed Spicer to explain what the president knows about the type of surveillance President Obama ordered conducted on Trump or his associates.
“I think that there’s no question there’s something that happened,” Spicer responded “The question is, is it surveillance, is it a wiretap, is it whatever? But there’s been enough reporting that strongly suggests that something occurred. And I think that’s why what he has said yesterday is that he wants Congress to look into this.”
The Problem With All of This
Spicer responded the same way to different versions of these questions from other reporters several times Monday. Other administration officials, like deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, have answered by citing vague “information” and “reports.”
The problem is there’s likely no satisfactory answer. As Stephen Hayes reported, White House sources say President Trump’s tweets were based off media reports suggesting the federal government conducted some kind of surveillance—reports that all cite anonymous sources.
But if the claim is true, the president doesn’t have to cite anonymous sources. He could declassify any information he has that proves or supports his very serious charge. That would be welcome information at a time of confusion about the facts and when other officials who might know are remaining silent. (When I asked the FBI if Director James Comey would speak publicly about the accusation or provide documentation of any warrants to tap the phones of Trump or his associates, a Bureau spokesman declined to comment.)
But their actions and responses on Monday don’t instill any confidence that the White House will be doing anything more than kicking the question of what the facts are to Congress.
Introducing GOP-Care
The House Republican proposal to replace Obamacare is here. Officially called the “American Health Care Act,” landed with thud Monday evening. Sean Spicer, in a statement, called the plan’s release an “important step toward restoring healthcare choices and affordability back to the American people.”
But the AHCA (eerily similar to the ACA) wasn’t quite greeted with thunderous applause from an audience it needs. The most conservative Republicans in the House are suspicious, including one of the smartest and most thoughtful Freedom Caucus member, Jim Jordan. Their skepticism suggests a tough road ahead for the White House and House speaker Paul Ryan to get this particular bill passed and onto the Senate (where it will have its own set of problems).
Why should conservatives be skeptical? Philip Klein at the Washington Examiner has a thorough understanding. Here’s an excerpt:
Klein’s objections, though, reflect something the White House has been resigned to for weeks: Whatever replaces Obamacare is likely to look a lot more like Obamacare than what many conservative reformers had dreamed of. Health-care policy after Trump and congressional Republicans are done with it may be nothing better than a middle-class entitlement with a conservative tint. That is, if the White House and GOP leaders can get enough rank-and-file Republicans (or, who knows, enough Democrats) on board.
A Health Care Confab
President Trump had dinner Monday night with Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price and Mick Mulvaney, the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Obamacare replacement was almost certainly a topic of conversation, but the White House has not responded to requests for comment on the meeting.
Song of the Day
“Roundabout,” Yes
