President Trump began Thursday by tweeting out two very different takes on a sweeping surveillance law, all but ensuring an eventful day for his press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Sure enough, the afternoon briefing did not disappoint, as Sanders insisted Trump's tweets — the first insinuating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act had been used nefariously to "abuse the Trump campaign," the second imploring the House to extend the bill because "we need it!" — were entirely in concert with one another.
Sanders insisted that Trump has a "full understanding" of the FISA debate, additionally pointing to comments made earlier Thursday by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that defended the president's knowledge of the issue. "It is well-known that he has concerns about the domestic FISA law," said Ryan, who went on to acknowledge that the domestic law was "not what we're doing today." Ryan reportedly called Trump after the president's first tweet this morning to clarify the White House position.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I think the premise of your question is completely ridiculous and shows the lack of knowledge that you have on this process," Sanders retorted, adding that the president's tweet "wasn't confusing to me. I'm sorry if it was for you." Watch Sanders' full defense to Jackson below. Kimberly Alters
-
Russian drone tests Romania as Trump spinsSpeed Read Trump is ‘resisting congressional plans to impose newer and tougher penalties on Russia’s energy sector’
-
Trump renews push to fire Cook before Fed meetingSpeed Read The push to remove Cook has ‘quickly become the defining battle in Trump’s effort to take control of the Fed’
-
September 15 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday’s political cartoons include publisher advice for Kamala Harris, the radicalization pipeline, and flu season guidelines
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
