Eli Watkins
Chairmen Chaffetz, Goodlatte ask government watchdog to investigate leaks
Two top House Republicans asked the Inspector General to investigate leaks surrounding the ouster of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
The request came in a letter from House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), and Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). "We request that your office begin an immediate investigation into whether classified information was mishandled here," the letter to the Inspector General read. Trump's administration has been beset by damaging leaks over its first month, including reports of Flynn's contact with the Russian ambassador to the US in December that ultimately led to his downfall. President Trump himself has decried such leaks as the "real scandal." Chairman Chaffetz has so far declined to investigate President Donald Trump's potential conflicts of interest or potential ties to Russia between himself or his aides.
Jake Tapper spars with Kellyanne Conway over White House falsehoods
Top White House adviser Kellyanne Conway has apologized for citing a fake "massacre" in support of Donald Trump's travel ban, in an interview on CNN in which she acknowledged that not all of the mainstream media can fairly be characterized as "fake news."
Tapper asked Conway about some of Trump's false claims, including his claim earlier Feb 7 that the murder rate was at the highest point in 47 years -- which is wrong. "Everyday there are these sprays of attack and sprays of falsehoods coming from the White House. It would be better if they were not coming from the White House, for me and for you," Tapper said, adding that it inhibits news organizations' ability to focus solely on policy. "Agreed, and let me just say it has to go both ways. I do, Jake, I sincerely don't see a lot of difference in coverage from when he was a candidate and when he became the Republican nominee, the president-elect and, indeed the President," Conway said. Conway also apologized for shaming the press for not covering the "Bowling Green Massacre," an incident which did not occur. "I regretted it tremendously," Conway said. "I felt really badly about that."