During an interview with Fox and Friends Wednesday morning, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders ripped colleagues engaging in leaking, called them cowards and said they will be fired.
"I think it is disgusting and some of the most shameful behavior that you could ever engage in. It’s an honor and privilege to work for the president and to be part of his administration," Sanders said. "Anybody who betrays that, I think is a total and complete coward and they should be fired. We fired people over leaking before. I have personally fired people over leaking before. And we certainly would be very willing to do so again."
"I think it's disgusting and some of the most shameful behavior you can ever engage in." -@PressSec slams leakers and says they should be fired pic.twitter.com/MXBU58dwL1
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) May 16, 2018
The comments come after a White House conversation about John McCain, during which an aide allegedly said he was "dying anyway" and therefore his vote against CIA nominee Gina Haspel doesn't matter, leaked to the media. When Sanders called a meeting to address the leak, her remarks leaked again.
During an interview earlier this week, Senior White House official Kellyanne Conway also said leakers will be fired and to expect staff changes.
Kellyanne Conway: Expect White House personnel changes (via @TheStoryFNC) pic.twitter.com/XsZokVhgD6
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) May 15, 2018
President Trump has weighed in as well.
The so-called leaks coming out of the White House are a massive over exaggeration put out by the Fake News Media in order to make us look as bad as possible. With that being said, leakers are traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 14, 2018