The Department of Justice issued a statement Thursday night warning the media and other Americans against believing anonymous sources.
The department added that it doesn’t confirm statements from unnamed officials.
“Americans should exercise caution before accepting as true any stories attributed to anonymous ‘officials,’ particularly when they do not identify the country, let alone the branch or agency of government, with which the alleged sources supposedly are affiliated,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote on Thursday.
“Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations. The Department of Justice has a long-standing policy to neither confirm or deny such allegations”, he added.
The statement was Rosenstein’s first remarks since he said in a Senate hearing on Tuesday that he had not seen any “good reason” to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian election interference.
Many reporters were quick to speculate that the statement was an attempt to block existing leaks, or possible a story that hasn’t yet been reported. According to multiple news reports, White House officials as well as President Donald Trump have expressed frustration several times about the leaks that keep appearing in the press about decisions taken by the President.
Be the first to comment