Spicer rips CNN Russia report, ‘dishonest, irresponsible, pathetic’

Other words from Spicer included “irresponsible and pathetic,” “disgraceful,” and “indefensible.”

A pool report was just issued from the clash:

Spokesman Sean Spicer had strong words for the media, particularly CNN, on the White House-FBI contacts story. ‘What you guys have done is indefensible and inaccurate,’ he said, quite heatedly. He pointed to TV chyron (new word for pooler) about White House asking FBI to deflate story. Spicer argued to reporters that asking what can be done when FBI says a story is BS was a natural human reaction. If Priebus had just walked away, ‘how insane would that be?’ Spicer said. He also said that if the WH put out a story that proved inaccurate, reporters would ask what steps WH is taking to set the record straight? But media won’t apply same logic in this case, which Spicer characterized as duplicitous. ‘What sane person would not want to set the record straight?’

At issue is CNN’s promotion of a story Thursday and today that the White House pressured the FBI to challenge an earlier New York Times story on alleged calls between Russian intelligence officials and Trump’s campaign team.

The White House, however, said that the FBI told the White House that the report was wrong. And during a meeting on another topic, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus asked FBI officials to dispute the Times story. They declined, and instead authorized Priebus to say it was wrong last week.

But the story was revived by CNN’s pressure report and the suggestion that the White House violated a standing practice of not discussing pending cases with the FBI.

The officials said Johns raised that rule, which CNN pundits have been flogging on TV, and Spicer explained that it includes a “carve out” for public affairs. Thus, it was OK to talk about it because Priebus and the FBI officials were discussing the Times story, not any investigation into contacts.

Spicer told Johns to “get his facts straight.” He said, “I know this is a CNN issue,” and added, “You guys have a credibility problem.”

CNN stood by its story.

Democrats and Trump critics have seized on the CNN angle. The Democratic National Committee compared it to Watergate, for example.

Trump and the White House have repeatedly denied they had discussions with Russian officials during the campaign, but critics and some in the media have kept the story alive. Supporters of Hillary Clinton believe she was hurt by email leaks, some from her own campaign manager and the Democratic National Committee, that were reportedly orchestrated by Russians.

The AP today wrote up the administration’s timeline in a report seen here including the news that it was the FBI that reached out to the White House about clearing up the Times story. Said the AP:

White House officials said it was the FBI that first raised concerns about the Times reporting but told Priebus the bureau could not weigh in publicly on the matter. The officials said [Deputy Director Andrew] McCabe and [FBI Director James] Comey instead gave Priebus the go-ahead to discredit the story publicly, something the FBI has not confirmed.

Nonetheless, CNN had a headline during the morning claiming that it was the White House that pressured the FBI. “We didn’t do that,” Spicer said at the gaggle.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]