Mattis rebuts NBC News claim that Trump wanted 10 fold increase in nuclear weapons

Washington Examiner:
An NBC News report claiming President Trump requested a tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal is "absolutely false," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in a Wednesday statement.

"Recent reports that the President called for an increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal are absolutely false," Mattis said. "This kind of erroneous reporting is irresponsible."

Minutes earlier, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the report was "fake news" and that such an increase was "totally unnecessary." He added that he wants the U.S. arsenal to be in "tip-top shape" and "perfect shape."

"General Mattis put out a statement, or is putting out a statement, saying that was fake news, that it was just mentioned that way." He also said it's "disgusting" that the media can write what it wants.

The NBC News story, published early Wednesday morning, said Trump's request occurred during a meeting at the Pentagon July 20, after Trump was showed a briefing slide illustrating the reduction of nuclear stockpile since the 1960s.

"According to the officials present, Trump's advisers, among them the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, were surprised," the story said. "Officials briefly explained the legal and practical impediments to a nuclear buildup and how the current military posture is stronger than it was at the height of the buildup. In interviews, they told NBC News that no such expansion is planned."
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The Washington Post had its typical hair on fire reaction to Trump's statement that it is "disgusting" that the media can write anything it wants.  In doing so they ignore the context of the false reporting he was talking about and imply he wanted to stop reporters from reporting.  He had specifically said no to that question.  You can count on CNN to have the same hair on fire reaction to his statement.  They tend to do that to anything he says beyond "Good morning."

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