Trump campaign's Perrine hits anonymous Atlantic sources: 'Journalism was abandoned'
'Journalistic integrity has to be in question here'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a Fox News “Media Buzz” interview, Trump 2020 Press Communications Director Erin Perrine hit out at The Atlantic's use of anonymous sources in a report claiming President Trump disparaged fallen U.S. soldiers.
Perrine said it’s “really clear that The Atlantic sources are lying,” citing current and former administration officials who have gone on the record to deny the article.
“There's White House emails that prove that this story is false and you have eight people of the 10 that have gone on the record with direct, firsthand knowledge,” she said. “These aren't sources. These are people who were really there and are out there saying that this is false.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP 2020 CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN BLASTS REPORT TRUMP DISPARAGED AMERICAN WAR DEAD AS 'FAKE'
“I think it's pretty clear here that journalism was abandoned, that journalistic integrity has to be in question here when you have four off-the-record, anonymous sources who are trying to hide their identities instead of standing up to level such disgusting accusations against the president of the United States,” Perrine said.
President Trump arrives on Air Force One, followed by Attorney General William Barr as he arrives at Waukegan National Airport in Waukegan, Ill., Sept. 1, 2020, in Kenosha. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
A former senior Trump administration official confirmed some of the report to Fox News National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin, while other Fox News sources have disputed other claims in the article. Griffin’s source revealed that the president called the Vietnam War a “stupid war” and that anyone who went was a “sucker.”
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Perrine told the public to "look at what the president does."
"You don't need anonymous sources," she said. "Look at the man's actions, look at the way he is when he goes to Walter Reed, the way he is when he is at Dover welcoming the bodies home of our fallen members, the work he has done to reform the Veterans Administration."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It is a commander in chief proud of his troops," she said.