Jan 11, 2018

White House: 'No conflict at all' between Trump's FISA tweets

Alayna Treene

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday that there was "no conflict at all" between President Trump's tweet this morning bashing the FISA surveillance law, and the White House's policy in favor of renewing it (which Trump expressed in a follow-up tweet hours later).

"The president fully supports the 702 and was happy to see that it passed the House today. But, he does have some overall concern with the FISA program more generally. We weren't confused, but some of you were" she added.

Why it matters: Sources in GOP leadership told Axios' Jonathan Swan that they were "horrified by a tweet they considered wildly irresponsible given the national security stakes."

More from Sanders' press briefing:

  • DACA: "There has not been a deal reached yet. However, we still think we can get there ... I'm not going to put a time frame on it but the priority is to get it done."
  • Will Trump be interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller? "Nothing's changed. We're going to continue to be fully cooperative ... However, the president and his personal attorneys are going to discuss this with the special counsel, not with reporters."
  • On Trump saying he wants to take a "strong look" at U.S. libel laws: "He thinks when things like [the Michael Wolff book] happen, there should be some recourse … he's simply saying it should be looked at."
  • Trump's medical exam, set for tomorrow: Sanders said they'll put out a brief statement tomorrow but take the weekend to compile the results and give a detailed readout on Tuesday.

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