Trump’s top brass divided over ‘fake news media’ claim

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s defence secretary and his chief of staff were miles apart Sunday when commenting on their boss’s continuing attack on the “enemy of the American people” — the media.

On the one hand, his defence secretary distanced himself from the president’s attacks, calling journalists a constituency of the democratic process.

James Mattis’s comments came after his commander-in-chief declared the fifth estate the “enemy of the American people” and vowed to “expose them for what they are.”

“The press, as far as I’m concerned, are a constituency that we deal with,” Mattis said. “And I don’t have any issues with the press, myself.”

On the other hand, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus warned that Trump’s attacks, which often come in the form of missives on Twitter, should be taken “seriously.” He described political reporting on Trump’s first month — one of the most turbulent of perhaps any presidency — as a “feeding frenzy” of “bogus” stories.

Priebus attacked as “total garbage” the media coverage of allegations that the Trump campaign may have colluded with Moscow in its alleged interference in the U.S. election, despite the claims also being subject to a Senate intelligence committee investigation.

He said journalists should report that Trump “has accomplished more in the first 30 days in this presidency than people can remember in a long time.”

The White House’s attacks on the press have drawn scathing criticism from U.S. politicians, even within Republican ranks.

Lindsey Graham, from South Carolina, said a free press is “worth fighting and dying for.” He said he believed U.S. media had become too “hysterical” in its reporting of Trump, but added: “The enemies of democracy at the end of the day are not the press. It’s Russia. It’s Iran and radical Islam.”