Trump rails against ‘fake news media,’ leaks from intelligence community

President Trump early Wednesday blasted the “fake news media” and leaks from the intelligence community after reports emerged that senior aides with his presidential campaign were in contact with Russian officials.

Trump in his first tweet of the morning said the “fake news media” is “going crazy with conspiracy theories and blind hatred.”

Trump slammed MSNBC and CNN, but said Fox News’s “Fox & Friends” is “great!”

“The fake news media is going crazy with their conspiracy theories and blind hatred. @MSNBC & @CNN are unwatchable. @foxandfriends is great!” he tweeted.

The fake news media is going crazy with their conspiracy theories and blind hatred. @MSNBC & @CNN are unwatchable. @foxandfriends is great!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017

“This Russian connection non-sense is merely an attempt to cover-up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton’s losing campaign,” Trump added moments later.

This Russian connection non-sense is merely an attempt to cover-up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton’s losing campaign.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017

Trump then blasted leaks from the intelligence community.

“Just like Russia,” he said.

Information is being illegally given to the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost by the intelligence community (NSA and FBI?).Just like Russia

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017

He said that classified information “is illegally given out by ‘intelligence’ like candy.”

“Very un-American!”

The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by “intelligence” like candy. Very un-American!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017

{mosads}Trump’s tweets follow reports in The New York Times and CNN that campaign aides were in “constant” contact with Russian officials.

The officials cited in the Times report said they have not discovered collaboration between the Trump campaign staff and Russian officials related to the hacking of Democratic organizations and aides to Clinton, the party’s presidential nominee. 

The intelligence community in a report released last month concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an influence campaign in an effort to help Trump win the White House. That report noted that it did not assess the impact of Russia’s actions on the 2016 election.

Trump’s tweets also come after a shake-up in the White House following the resignation of his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, late Monday.

Flynn resigned after reports that he misled White House officials, including Vice President Pence, on conversations he had with Russia’s ambassador to the United States before Trump’s inauguration. Flynn originally said he did not discuss sanctions with the ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. The Washington Post later reported that the two did discuss sanctions prior to Trump taking office.

This report was updated at 8:18 a.m.