Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, on Sunday declared there wasn't intelligence about Russia favoring President Donald Trump in the 2020 election at a briefing given to the president himself.
In an interview both on “Fox News Sunday” and NBC News’ “Meet The Press,” Short said he sat in on the intelligence briefing given to Trump — and that it didn’t contain the warning about Moscow’s preference for Trump that reportedly was delivered to the House Intelligence Committee.
"It's disconcerting that the [House Intelligence Committee] briefing … was a classified briefing” and yet the data was leaked out, Short lamented.
“The House continuously leaks selectively,” he said. "That was a classified briefing… [at] the briefing the president received … that did not come out of the briefing,” he said.
“The very briefing that the president received from the intelligence committee. …There’s not been an assertion that Russia is trying to benefit Donald Trump,” he repeated on “Meet The Press.”
“What his concern is, that if you do it in a way — in front of chairman [Rep. Adam] Schiff [D-Calif.], who has continued to lie to the American people time and again, on multiple occasions, particularly about this — the president’s relationship with Russia and continued to purport a Russia hoax conspiracy, yes that is frustrating to the president. Of course it is,” he added.
Short also denied on “Fox News Sunday” that ex-director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire was fired after his aide Shelby Pierson gave her briefing to the House Intelligence Committee.
"The administration has great respect for Maguire… [and is] looking for another place for him to serve,” he told “Fox News Sunday.” “It’s not firing. His position was to close on March 12.”
He also lashed back at Navy Adm. William McRaven’s contention that Maguire was dismissed for doing his job.
"He doesn’t know,” Short said. “He wasn’t there. I was there for the briefing… [Trump is frustrated about] ‘why did the House get a briefing before I did.’”
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