Trump says intel chiefs who contradicted him during public testimony, on live television, were 'misquoted'

(Image credit: AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

published 1 February 2019

President Trump on Thursday said that Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and CIA Director Gina Haspel both told him that the testimony they gave in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, which contradicted him, was "totally taken out of context."

Their testimony was broadcast live on television, and their written assessment of global threats was later made public. The intelligence chiefs made several statements at odds with the White House, including saying Iran is not trying to build a nuclear bomb and that North Korea is unlikely to completely stop its nuclear weapons program. When asked by reporters about the disconnect, Trump responded: "They said they were totally misquoted and totally taken out of context. They said it was fake news."

Trump did not say what exactly was misquoted, but did go on Twitter later to say they are "very much in agreement on Iran, ISIS, North Korea etc.," adding that "their testimony was distorted press" and "we are all on the same page!"

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.