White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says it bothers her that people think she misleads the media.
Sanders told The New York Times that she tries to deliver the “best and most accurate information at the time that I can,” adding that she has a responsibility to be truthful and accurate in her role as chief White House spokeswoman.
“One of the few things you have are your integrity and reputation,” Sanders said in an interview published Wednesday. “There’s a difference between misspeaking or not knowing something than maliciously lying.”
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The press secretary has faced criticism for dodging questions and having an at times testy relationship with the press corps.
She stressed to the Times that she can only provide the information she is given and that sometimes the things she says will become outdated or inaccurate a few days later because a decision may have changed.
“And I can’t always know that things will be different,” she said.
At a press briefing earlier this month, Sanders was pressed on why she told reporters that President Trump did not know his lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid adult-film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in “hush money” after Trump admitted he had, in fact, reimbursed Cohen.
Sanders told reporters at the May 3 press briefing that she was unaware of the information at the time of her original statement.
The Trump administration has a contentious relationship with press, which the president often deems “fake news.”
Sanders has said the administration is committed to a free press, despite suggestions from Trump that reporters lose their credentials for publishing negative reports.