Simonyan Mocks Podesta's Claims Sputnik, RT are 'Favored Sources' in White House
Sputnik news agency and RT broadcaster editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said that Hillary Clinton's former campaign chief John Podesta's claims that the media have become "favored go-to sources" in the White House press room, "made her day." "RT and Sputnik are White House's favorite media. These are some news. Made my day, as they say," Simonyan told RT. On Tuesday, Podesta said that the Sputnik news agency and RT broadcaster have become "favored go-to sources" in the White House press room following the election of Donald Trump as the US president. "We know the Russians are engaged and active, both in the over sense through the use of RT, the Russian Kremlin-sponsored television station, through Sputnik and other information sources, which now seem to be the favored go-to sources in the White House press room," Podesta told The Washington Post in an interview answering the question on Russia's alleged meddling in the US presidential election. He added though that these media "ask tough questions these days." Podesta also blamed Moscow for disturbing the democratic process all over Europe, including Norway, Germany and France. The European governments have repeatedly accused Russia of interfering in their political process. During the French presidential campaign then contender Emmanuel Macron’s lead campaigner Richard Ferrand has accused RT of spreading fake news to allegedly influence democratic life in France. RT’s press office flatly denied the claim, while Simonyan said she was flattered by how the centrist’s campaign was built exclusively on lies about the news channel. On May 16, CIA spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak said the involvement of Russian intelligence services in hacking related to the US elections was an "established fact." Russian officials repeatedly denied allegations of meddling in the elections, calling them absurd. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said the Russian government had no official contacts with the Trump campaign during the election. As for the statements that Russia allegedly interfered in the French presidential campaign, Peskov said they did not do credit to their authors. Source URL |
