By John Bowden - 06-15-17 23:12 PM EDT
The Justice Department issued a statement Thursday night warning the media and other Americans against believing anonymous sources, and warning that the Justice Department 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 Thursday.
"Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations," the statement continues. "The Department of Justice has a long-standing policy to neither confirm or deny such allegations."
Many reporters quickly pointed out the statement as bizarre on Twitter, speculating that the Justice Department was attempting to squash existing leaks, or possible a story that hasn't yet been reported. It not immediately made clear if the statement was in reference to a specific story.
Great to hear the White House and @realDonaldTrump admin is going to do all briefings on the record from now on. Bravo, @TheJusticeDept. pic.twitter.com/YsSuQAfO0F
- Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) June 16, 2017
I think the Rosenstein statement is in relation to a story we haven't seen yet in an effort to quash it. So who knows what it's about.
- John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) June 16, 2017
The statement was Rosenstein's first remarks since he said in a Senate hearing on Tuesday that he had not seen any "good cause" to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian election interference.
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