Incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer laid into the Buzzfeed report on a 35-page intelligence brief tying President-elect Trump to Russian spies as a political witch hunt that is “frankly shameful and disgraceful.”
“It’s frankly outrageous and highly irresponsible for a left-wing blog that was highly hostile to the president-elect’s campaign to drop highly salacious and flat-out false information on the Internet just days before he takes the oath of office,” he said.
The report was published in full by Buzzfeed Tuesday evening, despite acknowledging it is unverified.
The website stated they were publishing the report because the American people deserved to know about information being passed through the upper levels of the government. Readers could decide for themselves if they believe it is true or not, Buzzfeed stated.
The report alleged members of the Trump campaign coordinated with the Russian government in order to defeat Clinton in the election, including meetings of high-level Trump officials with Russian intelligence officers. The report also alleged the Russian government has compromising material on Trump.
Spicer denied any connection between Trump campaign officials, like former campaign manager Paul Manafort and Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, and the Russian government. He added that Carter Page, a businessman said to speak to the Kremlin on behalf of Trump, is not affiliated with the Trump camp and doesn’t know Trump.
Spicer said Buzzfeed’s decision to run with an unverified report is a “pathetic attempt to get clicks.”
“For all the talk of fake news, this political witch hunt by some in the media is based on some of the most flimsy reporting that’s frankly shameful and disgraceful,” he said.
