Source Trump had dismissed as ‘phony’ turns out to be WH staff
President Donald Trump accused The New York Times of inventing a source for a story who, in fact, was a White House official conducting a briefing for reporters under the condition of anonymity.
Trump tweeted on Saturday that the Times quoted an official “who doesn’t exist” and referenced a line in the story about a possible summit with North Korea, which read: “A senior White House official told reporters that even if the meeting were reinstated, holding it on June 12 would be impossible, given the lack of time and the amount of planning needed.”
Trump tweeted: “WRONG AGAIN! Use real people, not phony sources.”
The Times reported in a story about the tweet that it had cited “a senior White House official speaking to a large group of reporters in the White House briefing room.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the use of unnamed sources and labelled information related by unnamed officials “fake news.” Still, his White House regularly arranges briefings with officials who demand anonymity before relaying information, a practice also used by previous administrations.
While Trump asserted the official did not exist, he also took issue with how the Times paraphrased the remarks.
WASHINGTON:US