April 19, 2019

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Embarks on Media Tour to Defend Her Lies

“I had a slip of the tongue…but it’s not untrue.”

Among the string of explosive and damaging revelations that emerged from the Mueller report Thursday was White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ admission that she had lied to reporters in order to damage the reputation of former FBI Director James Comey.

After Trump abruptly fired Comey in 2017 the midst of the FBI’s Russia investigation, Sanders falsely claimed that the White House had been in communication with “countless” bureau employees who did not support Comey. Sanders ultimately acknowledged to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators that her claim was a fabrication. Her admission has prompted demands for her resignation.

But don’t expect Sanders to be heeding such calls. When asked about the bombshell revelation during an appearance on Sean Hannity late Thursday, the press secretary offered a defiant defense.

“Look, I acknowledged that I had a slip of the tongue when I used the word ‘countless’—but it’s not untrue,” she said. “Certainly you just echoed exactly the sentiment and the point that I was making, is that a number of both current and former FBI agents agreed with the president. James Comey was a disgraced leaker who tried to politicize and undermine the very agency he was supposed to run.”

Sanders repeated that same defense on Friday.

“That’s not a slip of the tongue, Sarah,” ABC’s George Stephanopoulos said after playing the clip of the press secretary in May 2017 making the false claim to White House reporters. “That’s a deliberate false statement.”

“Actually, if you look at what I’ve said, I said the ‘slip of the tongue’ was in using the word countless,” Sanders responded. “But there were a number of FBI, both former and current, that agreed with the president’s decision. And they’ve continued to speak out and say that.”

Stephanopoulos then called Sanders out for admitting to lying while under the threat of criminal penalties but failing to do so otherwise. 

“It was the heat of the moment, meaning that it wasn’t a scripted talking point,” Sanders shot back. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t a robot like the Democratic Party that went out for two and a half years and stated time and time again that there was definite Russian collusion between the president and his campaign.

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate