The White House on Wednesday cast doubt on the authenticity of new undercover videos that suggest Democratic operatives hired people to incite violence at Donald Trump’s campaign rallies.
Press secretary Josh Earnest said the videos from conservative activist James O’Keefe should be taken with “a whole packet of salt” because of what he said is his penchant for selectively editing footage to cast subjects in an unflattering light.
“I’ve been asked about videos that have come from this outlet in the past, and each time I have tried to urge people to take those reports not at face value," Earnest said. "Because despite what the name might suggest, these videos have not often revealed the truth."
“At this point, I would urge extreme caution in drawing conclusions on anybody’s character” as a result of the videos, Earnest said.
The videos from O’Keefe’s Project Veritas showed two Democrats speaking about ways to spur violent confrontations at the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign events.
Robert Creamer, who leads the liberal consulting firm Democracy Partners, and Scott Foval, national field director for Americans United for Change, both stepped down from their posts after they were shown in the videos.
While Earnest expressed doubt the videos painted an accurate picture, he condemned the tactics discussed in them, including hiring mentally ill people to protest at Trump rallies.
Foval was filmed saying the goal was for the demonstrators to be attacked by Trump supporters.
“That is entirely inconsistent with the president’s view of community organizing and waging a vigorous campaign,” Earnest said. “We shouldn’t have to resort to violence.”