Exclusive: McCain Denied He or His Staff Distributed the Steele Dossier to the Media

‘You are questioning my integrity right now’

This story is cross-posted at our consumer site, Grabien News. Watch it there – without audiomarks.

In late 2017, reporter Kerry Picket asked the late Sen. John McCain if he, or anyone on his staff, leaked the Trump dossier to anyone in the media.

McCain denied doing so, insisting he only gave it to the FBI. When Picket later followed up, McCain became upset, and accused the reporter of “questioning my integrity.”

Picket recently surfaced her recording of the exchange after it was recently reported that a McCain staffer had indeed leaked the dossier to multiple media outlets. David Kramer, a former executive at the McCain Institute and State Department official, reportedly provided a copy to BuzzFeed, which later published it in full. 

“The answer is no,” McCain told Picket, after she attempted to follow up. “I was the only one that had it… You are questioning my integrity right now. The answer is no. Please don’t ask it again. I gave it to no one except the Director of the FBI and I don’t know why you’re digging this up now.”


RELATED:

John McCain Associate Gave Dossier To BuzzFeed

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