White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders capped off her first on-camera briefing in 42 days with a series of reality-bending statements—Donald Trump “privately condemned” racist remarks by Rep. Steve King; reporters should ask Democrats whether they hate Jews—followed by a final, masterful dodge. Referring to Michael Cohen’s bombshell testimony before Congress, in which he said Trump reimbursed his hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels, a reporter asked Sanders point-blank why Trump had paid Cohen. “He testified about this, he specifically accused the president of engaging in a conspiracy to conceal campaign-finance violations,” the reporter said. “He presented a check.”

What followed was a full minute of Sanders denying that Trump had violated campaign finance laws, despite Trump’s own admissions that the payments occurred, and Cohen’s testimony that the $130,000 was intended to keep Daniels from influencing the election. Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, has also acknowledged that the payments were designed to keep Daniels silent. “The president has been clear that there wasn’t campaign-finance violations,” Sanders said.

Reporter: So you’re saying that the president didn‘t know about these violations?

Sanders: Again, I would refer you back to the president’s comments, that’s not something I’m a part of, and I would refer you to the president’s outside counsel beyond his comments.

Reporter: Does the White House deny that the president is Individual 1?

Sanders: Again I am not going to comment on an ongoing case that’s not something I would be a part of here at the White House. What I can tell you is that the president has stated his position and made it clear.

With a final “thanks so much guys,“ Sanders deserted the podium, potentially for another six weeks.

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