White House Press Briefings: Documented Lies to Press and Public Under Oath Admission

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.