White House Press Briefings: Documented Lies to Press and Public Under Oath Admission
Sanders told reporters in May 2017 that the reason Trump fired Comey was that FBI rank-and-file agents had lost confidence in him — a claim supported by the White House's stated justification for the firing. When Mueller's investigators interviewed Sanders, she acknowledged that statement had not been based on anything, that she had made it up in the moment, and that it was a 'slip of the tongue.' The Mueller Report quoted her directly: the claim was not based on 'any of the things you heard.' Other documented false claims from the briefing room included statements about the Trump Tower meeting, Trump's involvement in drafting a misleading statement about the meeting, and numerous false claims about immigration, trade, and policy matters that fact-checkers documented.
Record summary
Grade
Grade 1 of 5: Significant Democratic Concern
Actions that weaken democratic institutions, suppress political participation, or restrict fundamental freedoms without reaching the threshold of a rights violation attributable to a specific victim class. Scale and definitions
- Status
- Concluded
- Incident date
- Record updated
- Location
- White House Press Briefing Room, Washington, D.C.
- Category
- Rule of Law
- Legal posture
- Judicial finding
- War-crime classification
- Enabling conduct
- Verification
- Independently verified
- ICC relevance
- No
- Sources
- 3 cited
- Stable ID
trump-first-term-sarah-huckabee-sanders-lies- Victims
- The American press corps and through them the public, who were misled from the official White House podium about the reasons for the FBI director's firing and other consequential matters; the institutional credibility of the White House press operation
- Alleged responsible parties
- Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary July 2017 to June 2019; told press that FBI rank-and-file had lost confidence in Comey; admitted under Mueller investigation oath that the claim was false and not based on anything; made numerous other documented false statements from the briefing podium— White House
- Donald Trump, President; directed or approved false public justifications for the Comey firing; his administration conducted press briefings that produced documented false statements— White House
Key points
- On May 11, 2017, Sanders told reporters at the White House podium that FBI rank-and-file agents had 'lost confidence' in James Comey and that this was a reason for his firing; she said she had heard from 'countless members of the FBI' who were happy Comey had been fired; the Mueller Report revealed she admitted to investigators these claims were 'not founded on anything' and that she had made them 'in the heat of the moment' as a 'slip of the tongue'
- The admission was documented in the Mueller Report directly; when investigators asked Sanders about her specific May 11 statement, she acknowledged it was not based on any conversations with FBI rank-and-file agents, was not based on information provided to her by anyone, and that the characterization of 'countless' agents was not factual; this made it among the most explicitly documented false statements from a senior White House official in the Mueller investigation
- Sanders also told reporters on August 1, 2017 that Trump had not been involved in drafting the initial misleading statement about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian nationals; the Mueller Report found this was false — Trump personally dictated the statement that falsely described the meeting as primarily about Russian adoptions when it had been arranged to obtain damaging information on Hillary Clinton
- Sean Spicer, Sanders' predecessor as press secretary, made the administration's first documented false statement from the briefing room on January 21, 2017 — one day after inauguration — when he falsely claimed Trump's inauguration crowd was the largest in history, a claim contradicted by photographs and transit data; Sanders continued the pattern of false statements throughout her tenure
- By the end of Sanders' tenure, fact-checking organizations had documented hundreds of false or misleading statements made from the White House briefing room; the administration eventually stopped holding regular daily press briefings, with Sanders going 94 days between briefings at one point in 2019
- Sanders left the White House in June 2019 and was subsequently elected Governor of Arkansas in 2022, becoming the first woman to hold that office; her tenure as Press Secretary ended with an established record of documented false public statements that she had personally acknowledged under oath were not based on facts
Overview
Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the press that FBI agents had lost confidence in James Comey. She said she had heard from countless agents. She said this from the official White House podium. When investigators under oath asked her about it, she said it was not based on anything.
The Mueller Report quoted her directly. She called it a slip of the tongue. She had said it as a stated reason for a consequential official act — the firing of the FBI director — while under public and congressional scrutiny.
The Claim
On May 11, 2017, the day after Comey was fired, Sanders stood at the White House podium and told reporters that FBI rank-and-file agents had lost confidence in their director. She said she had heard from "countless members" of the FBI. She said this was a reason for the firing.
This claim was significant because the White House's stated justification for firing Comey was contested. The claim that agents themselves had turned against Comey would have supported the narrative that the firing was institutional rather than political.
It was not true. Sanders acknowledged under oath that she had made it up.
The Mueller Report
The Mueller Report quoted Sanders' explanation: the claim "was not founded on anything." She described it as "a slip of the tongue" made "in the heat of the moment." She acknowledged she had not spoken to "countless" FBI agents or any agents. The characterization was invented.
The same report documented that Sanders also falsely denied Trump's involvement in drafting the misleading statement about the Trump Tower meeting — a statement Trump had personally dictated.
The Briefing Room
The White House press briefing room exists to give the public official information about government actions. The briefings are on camera. The statements made from the podium are official communications from the executive branch.
Sanders made documented false statements from that podium. She admitted one of them under oath. She ended her tenure having stopped holding regular daily briefings, going 94 days between appearances at one point. The daily briefing format was effectively discontinued.
Update log
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Based on Sanders departure and Mueller Report documentation.
Sequence of events
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Spicer makes first documented false statement — inauguration crowd size
Sean Spicer holds the administration's first press briefing and falsely claims Trump's inauguration attracted the largest crowd in history. Photographs and transit data directly contradict the claim. The administration dismisses the photos and offers 'alternative facts' as a description of Spicer's statements.
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Sanders tells press FBI rank-and-file lost confidence in Comey
Sanders tells reporters she has heard from 'countless' FBI agents who are happy Comey was fired, and that rank-and-file agents had lost confidence in him. She will later admit under oath these statements were not based on anything.
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Sanders denies Trump drafted misleading Trump Tower statement
Sanders tells reporters Trump was not involved in drafting the statement about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting. The Mueller Report later finds this was false — Trump personally dictated the statement.
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Mueller Report reveals Sanders admitted FBI claim was false
The Mueller Report, released on April 18, 2019, quotes Sanders acknowledging to investigators that her May 2017 claim about FBI agents losing confidence in Comey was not based on any conversations, not based on information from anyone, and was a 'slip of the tongue' made 'in the heat of the moment.'
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Sanders leaves White House — 94 days between last briefings
Sanders departs the White House as Press Secretary. During her tenure, the administration went 94 days between press briefings at one point, and the daily briefing format was effectively abandoned. Her final months saw no regular public briefings at all.
Sources
- Mueller Report Reveals Sanders Admitted Her Comey Claim Was False — The New York Times
- Sarah Sanders admitted her claim about FBI rank and file was false, Mueller says — The Washington Post
- Mueller Report: Sanders admitted FBI rank-and-file claim was not based on anything — The Associated Press