Spicer Confirms White House Arranged Pushback on Russia Reporting

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Monday confirmed an Axios report that the White House connected reporters with intelligence officials in an effort to push back against reports about the Trump campaign’s alleged contact with Russian officials. Spicer would not say whether he personally arranged those conversations, but did say the White House wanted to ensure that reporters who had questions about The New York Times story regarding the campaign’s Russian connections were able to discuss it with “subject matter experts.” Spicer added that he asked the FBI, once top officials told him the Times story was “B.S.,” to “tell other reporters the same thing you’re telling us” in order to ensure “the accuracy of the reporting and the claims in there.”