Media Twitter Slams Sarah Sanders for Ducking on Her Don Jr. Statement: ‘One of the Biggest Dodges’ Ever

How could she possibly duck this question?

That, more or less, was the response from media Twitter following what was an absolutely stunning dodge Monday by White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The Hill’s Jordan Fabian and the Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey confronted Sanders on her statement that President Donald Trump “certainly didn’t dictate” the statement made by Donald Trump Jr. about the events which took place in Don Jr.’s Trump Tower meeting with a Russian attorney. The assertion by Sanders is now being contradicted by the president’s own lawyers.

Sanders refused to address the claim by the president’s lawyers that she lied, instead referring the query to…the president’s lawyers.

Media Twitter was truly aghast. Here’s a sampling of the reaction:

As expected, @PressSec referred questions about her own false statements about Trump Tower meeting to outside legal counsel. Perhaps one of the biggest dodges in briefing room history.

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 4, 2018

It's a pretty simple question. Sarah Sanders said POTUS did not dictate a statement about a meeting w/Russians at Trump Tower for "dirt" on Clinton. His lawyers said he did dictate a statement. It can't be both. He either did, as his lawyers said, or didn't, as Sanders said. https://t.co/gHPi3NtzUn

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) June 4, 2018

Just so we are clear here. Sarah Sanders said something that is utterly contradicted by a letter from the president’s lawyers. But when asked to explain why SHE said it, she refers the questions to the president’s lawyers.

— Sam Stein (@samstein) June 4, 2018

So:

Sarah Sanders said — from the podium — that Donald Trump did not dictate the Don Jr. statement.

Now — from the podium — she says she can't talk about it because it's a legal matter,.

UNREAL.

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) June 4, 2018

those exchanges between peter baker/josh dawsey and sarah sanders—in which they asked her for the basis of her lie that trump didn't dictate the don jr/trump tower statement, and she refused to answer—should be more than enough reason to stop attending the briefing/taking it live

— 314 days ago Trump promised 24-hr Hezbollah answer (@MattNegrin) June 4, 2018

Sarah Sanders is refusing to explain why she said last year that Trump did not dictate the misleading Trump Tower statement — even though Trump's own legal team admitted that he did. She is referring questions to Trump's lawyers. But the questions are about her own words……..

— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) June 4, 2018

The press secretary made a statement last fall that the president’s legal team has since contradicted in a letter sent to the special counsel. One of them is wrong. But instead of saying who is telling the truth, the spokesman for the president just chose not to answer. https://t.co/OtqMmMWsXE

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) June 4, 2018

Stunningly, @PressSec refused just now to explain why she misled the public last year when she said President Trump did not dictate his son's statement about the Trump Tower meeting. His lawyers say he did in fact dictate the statement.

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) June 4, 2018

This is ridiculous.

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) June 4, 2018

Even Fox News’ Brit Hume, following the briefing, said there’s “no way around the fact” Trump’s people lied last year:

No way around the fact that Trump team lied when they said POTUS had nothing to do with the statement on the Trump Tower meeting. Now they acknowledge he dictated the statement.

— Brit Hume (@brithume) June 4, 2018

[photo via screengrab]

——

Follow Joe DePaolo (@joe_depaolo) on Twitter

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!