Was president, an enemy of anonymous sources, one himself?

The episode illustrated the administration’s difficulties in squaring a longtime practice of anonymous sourcing in Washington politics and journalism with the president’s anger at stories that displeased him. Trump has decried “fake news” and called journalists “enemies of the people.” Friday, in a speech before a conference of conservatives, he said that reporters “shouldn’t be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody’s name. Let their name be put out there.”

It’s not unusual for presidents to invite journalists for private meetings like Tuesday’s lunch before a major speech, like Trump’s before Congress on Tuesday. In the past, they have been considered off the record — meaning nothing said at the meeting could be reported publicly.

Before Trump publicly became the source of the immigration news, a White House official acknowledged to The Associated Press that it came from the meeting with news anchors. The AP was not included in the meeting.

Fox News’ Chris Wallace, who was also in the meeting, reported on Shepard Smith’s afternoon show that he saw a “kinder, gentler Donald Trump” during the lunch.

“It was in this context that a senior administration official said that the president thinks that the time was right for immigration reform,” Wallace said. “That came as kind of a surprise.”

After some more discussion of nuggets from the “senior administration official,” Smith couldn’t take it anymore.

“So they give us anonymous sources after they rail at us for using anonymous sources?” he said. “That is hilarious.”

Replied Wallace: “Don’t shoot the messenger, Shep.”

Smith said that Trump “wants people to think there’s a major war against people who report facts that he doesn’t like. But when you’re in the room with him, it’s all good. When you’re on TV, he vilifies you and treats you as if you’re doing something wrong when you’re actually doing everything right. That’s annoying.”

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AP Chief White House Correspondent Julie Pace in Washington contributed to this report.

David Bauder, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Was president, an enemy of anonymous sources, one himself?

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