White House Briefing as Trump Threatens to Take Away Press Credentials.
SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Mr. Cham was a former vice chairman of the committee said he could not name the last time so many former intelligence professionals agreed on a single nominee. And in her opening statement, Acting Director Haspel outlined what she is focused on to better position the CIA for tactical and strategic success and to accomplish its mission. The acting director demonstrated why the president selected her and her character and her experience and her commitment to protecting the country. She is the right person to lead the CIA and the senate should confirm her. Because the president is traveling tomorrow, and we won't have a briefing, I'm going to take advantage of this opportunity to wish my daughter scarlet who will be six tomorrow a happy birthday. And with that, I'll take your questions.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sarah, you mentioned the CIA director nominee. Gina Haspel said today the president -- if the president asked her to do anything -- to restart the integration program the CIA was criticized for she would not do that. Is that something the president would ever ask?</s>SANDERS: I'm not aware of any requests by the president to the past CIA director or what we hope to be the new CIA director very soon.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I ask you one more question. Just on a separate subject, following up on the Iran announcement from the president, the Europeans are working hard now to keep that deal alive, despite the United States being pulled out. Can you say, will the White House ensure that European companies who trade with Iran will not suffer the sanctions that the United States is going to put back on?</s>SANDERS: The sanctions that were in place prior to the deal will go back into place. But for the specifics, I know there is a winddown period for specifics on any particular company, I would refer you to the Department of Treasury.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sarah, the president suggested stripping journalists from credentials and that is a line you are willing to cross.</s>SANDERS: I'm standing up in front of you taking your questions. I think a number of you have mentioned both off air or on air, in private or other occasions this is one of the most accessible White House and committed to the free press and we demonstrate that every single day, not only by me being up here and taking your questions as I'm doing right now, the president did it just a couple of hours ago. And has made multiple sets of remarks and will be in front of the press later tonight as well.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How would the suggestion of taking American journalists press credentials away advocate for a free police -- a free press in the country. Those two don't go together.</s>SANDERS: The fact I'm taking questions and the president took questions from your colleagues just two hours ago demonstrates this White House commitment to accessible and to providing information to the American public. At the same time, the president has a responsibility to put out accurate information. Just yesterday "The New York Times" accused the secretary of state for being AWOL. When he was flying across the globe to bring three Americans home. There is an outrageous claim, just earlier this week "The Washington Post" accused the first lady of not living in the White House. That outrageous claim was then repeated again in this room. We are here, we are taking questions, we are doing everything we can to provide regular and constant information to the American people and there is a responsibility by you guys to provide accurate information and we'll continue to try to work with you as I'm doing right here and right now and as the president did just a couple of hours ago.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you wouldn't be able asked these questions that you have already answered without these credentials.</s>SANDERS: and you are so you are clearly sitting right here asking them right now.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me ask you this question. The confidential credential records of Michael Cohen's company, Essential Consultants were made public prompting the Treasury Department's office of the inspector general to launch an investigation into how that happened. But among the records were payments from AT&T to a person very close to the president at a time when AT&T was looking for government approval of a proposed merger with Time Warner, and also payments of over a million dollars from Novartis Pharmaceuticals at the time the president was talking about doing something to bring down the cost of pharmaceuticals. Is the president concerned about any aspect of what we've learned in the last 24 hours?</s>SANDERS: As you know, due to the complications of the different components of this investigation. I would refer you to the presidents outside council to address those concerns.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the president concerned that major corporations were giving money somebody very close to him at a time when they had business before the federal government?</s>SANDERS: I haven't heard the president express any concerns about that.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sarah, do you believe Michael Cohen was in any way qualified by insight into this administration.</s>SANDERS: I'm not going to get into somebody else's qualifications.