White House press secretary Sarah Sanders Thursday deflected questions about former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's comments over a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, saying the Trump administration prefers the focus to be on the more serious work it is doing.
"When we come here every single day, we're focused on the task at hand, whether it is in negotiations and conversations with China on trade, whether it's getting prepared for the summit to take place with North Korea, whether it is focused on growing the economy, creating jobs, that's what we're certainly focused on," Sanders told Fox News' "Fox & Friends."
The other news is a "distraction to the American people about not hearing a lot of great things taking place in the administration, a lot of things with global impact taking place over next couple months," said Sanders.
She pointed out that Giuliani is part of President Donald Trump's legal team and has "visibility and insight" on the issue, and she'd refer back to his comments, as the matter is "part of ongoing litigation.
This is something we at white house can't comment on and I would refer you to his comments and president's tweets from earlier this morning."
"It's definitely something in the news," show co-host Ainsley Earhardt told her. "We have to talk about it."
Sanders went on to discuss the latest news that the three Americans being held in North Korea could be released before the planned summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"I can't comment any further at this point that would be a great example of goodwill and certainly another step in the right direction, and a really good step in part of the process that we're working towards leading up to this summit," she said. "We again are cautiously optimistic about where this will go. As the president has said we'll see what happens."
Trump has been "extremely tough" on North Korea and has been able to get U.S. allies to put pressure on the Kim regime.
"You can see by the movements that they made, by the concessions they're beginning to make and the comments that they made publicly that they want to have this conversation," said Sanders.
"Again, feeling the pressure that has been put on them by the president's leadership and we're certainly moving forward in this process, but we remain again cautiously optimistic about everything leading into these talks."
Sanders said she was not able to announce the place or further details about the sit-down, but "certainly things are moving forward and moving forward quickly."
She also discussed the upcoming confirmation hearings for acting CIA Director Gina Haspel's nomination, commenting that she is one of the "most qualified, most capable individuals that is being put up for director of the CIA that we probably ever had."
Haspel has the confidence of the rank and file of the CIA, and is prepared to lead from day one, said Sanders.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has spoken out against Haspel, but Sanders dismissed that, saying he "doesn't always make the right decisions right away, but we hope he gets there."
Sanders also dismissed concerns about last Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner, after comedian Michelle Wolf lambasted her during a roast.
"I think that evening says a whole lot more about her than it does about me," said Sanders. "The people that were my friends before that evening are my friends today and I'm going to continue doing the job that I came here to do every single day.
“I hope that she can find some of the same happiness that we all have, because I think she may need a little more in her life, because the rest of us here are doing great."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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