.@PressSec starts of briefing says neither the front page of the @nytimes nor the White House podium is a venue "for discussing classified information"
"We are here having this discussion today because of an irresponsible, anonymous leak"
"There is no good scenario as a result of this New York Times report" per @PressSec
"Who's going to want to cooperate w/the United States intelligence community? Who's going to want to be a source or an asset if they know that their identity could be disclosed"
NEW: "This report makes it more difficult to come to a consensus on this matter" @PressSec says of report on alleged #Russia|n bounties
She also warns, "This level of controversy & discord plays directly into the hands of #Russia & unfortunately serves their interests"
"The president was never briefed on this. This intelligence still has not been verified" per @PressSec
If it is verified, she says @POTUS is ready to act
"The president has always taken tough, unadulterated action against #Russia"
"The president has been briefed on what's unfortunately in the public domain" per @PressSec
"That doesn't change the fact that there is no consensus..." on the intel
.@PressSec refuses to confirm or deny whether information about intel on the alleged #Russia bounty payments to the #Taliban was in the #PDB (President's daily Brief)
"What is briefed to the president is when there's a strategic decision to be made" per @PressSec "So, in this case if there was a strategic decision to be made vis a vis #Russia"
"In this case, it was not briefed to the president...it was not credible"
"The president does read, and he also consumes intelligence verbally" per @PressSec "This president, I will tell you, is the most informed person on planet earth when it comes to the threats that we face"
.@PressSec accuses Democratic party of "politicizing this information, which I think is absolutely disgraceful"
"These are rogue intelligence officers who are imperiling our troops lives" @PressSec of intel leaks
"It very possibly could be" that US intel officials are going after @POTUS, she adds
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