US President Donald Trump says he did not direct his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to discuss diluting US sanctions in place against Russia prior to the Presidential inauguration.
At a combative news conference in Washington, the President said he had no knowledge of any communications between his senior campaign aides and the Russians during last year's election.
He took the media to task, telling reporters they were disseminating "fake news"
He vowed to publish a new executive order on immigration next week.
And said that he had inherited a "mess" from President Barack Obama in terms of both domestic and foreign policy.
Our US Bureau Chief Simon Marks reports.
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Never before has Washington seen anything like this: a President less than a month into his administration taking to the East Room of the White House notionally to unveil his Labor Secretary….
AXX
"The nominee for Secretary of the Department of Labor will be Mr. Alex Acosta….."
….but then launching into unprecedented attacks on the country's intelligence services for leaking what he insists is "fake news" designed to discredit him:
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"I've actually called the Justice Department to look into the leaks. Those are criminal leaks".
VO TRUMP And relentless attacks on the press for publishing it.
TAKE TRUMP SOUNDBITE
The press conference, announced less than 2 hours before it occurred, allowed reporters to ask some of the questions that have been piling up since Monday's firing of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
The President said he had disposed of the General because he lied to Vice President Mike Pence about the nature of his pre-inauguration phone conversations with the Russian Ambassador.
But, said the President, there was nothing wrong about those conversations….and he had not directed the General to discuss the timetable for diluting US sanctions in place against Moscow.
TAKE TRUMP SOUNDBITE (Super: Donald Trump, US President"
"Mike was doing his job. He was calling countries and his counterparts. So it certainly would have been ok with me if he did it. I would have directed him to do it if I thought he wasn't doing it. I didn't direct him, but I would have directed him because that's his job".
Time and again Mr. Trump was asked if any of his aides had communicated with the Russians during the campaign.
TAKE TRUMP SOUNDBITE
"Well I told you General Flynn obviously was dealing, so that's one person, as he should have been…."
QUESTION: "During the election?
TRUMP: No, nobody that I know of?
QUESTION: "So you're not aware of any contacts during the course of the election?"
TRUMP: "How many times do I have to answer this question?".
QUESTION: "Can you just say yes or no on it?"
TRUMP: "Russia is a ruse. I know you have to get up and ask a question, it's so important. Russia is a ruse".
Earlier in the day, the President described as "low-life leakers" the intelligence officials who have disclosed information press about the investigation into ties between his top aides and the Russians.
TAKE TRUMP "We're gonna find the leakers. They're gonna pay a big price for leaking"
But in the press conference, he suggested now he's putting his own national security team in place, he expects the leaks to stop.
And he told reporters they would only have themselves to blame if he's now unable to create a warmer relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
TAKE TRUMP SOUNDBITE
He was pressed on whether he would retailiate for Moscow's deployment of a spy ship off America's East Cost, and the deployment of Russian missiles in violation of an arms treaty.
TAKE TRUMP SOUNDBITE
QUESTION: "Can we conclude there will be no response to these particular provocations?"
TRUMP: "I'm not going to tell you anything about what response I do. I don't talk about military response. /// \\\ I don't want to be one of these guys who says here's what we're going to do. I don't have to tell you what I'm gonna do in North Korea. Wait a minute. I don't have to tell you what I'm gonna do in North Korea. And I don't have to tell you what I'm gonna do with Iran. You know why? Because they shouldn't know".
And the President insisted that he is more in touch with the American public than the press, and will soon travel across the country to tell voters about what he called an unprecedented record of fulfilling campaign promises.
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President Trump, more clearly than ever, drew lines during his press conference between those reporters who ask "friendly" questions that he welcomes….and those who pose tough questions that he doesn't.
Presidents in the past have had contentious relationships with some members of the White House Press Corps and also with their intelligence chiefs…..but never anything like this.
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