Reporter Mike Lee sparred with State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Monday over repeated warnings of Russian “false flag” operations.
Lee made headlines more than a year ago when he sparred with former spokesman Ned Price about U.S. claims that Russia was going to stage a “fabricated attack” by Ukraine to justify an invasion, Axios reported. Lee continually pressed to see the evidence, with Price insisting that it was classified. Russia went on to launch its invasion without relying on any claim of a major Ukrainian attack.
Lee once again put pressure on the administration on Monday, asking whether Miller is aware of any false flag attacks that have actually taken place.
“Are you aware of there being any false flag attacks?” Lee pressed.
“No, we believe we have information that leads us to believe Russia may conduct a false flag attack that they blame on Ukrainians–” Miller said before Lee again interjected.
“I had a long exchange with your predecessor about false flags. Have you seen any evidence that they have done?” he asked.
“They have not,” Miller said. “We’re concerned they may in the future.”
“Okay, well, you’re concerned about a lot of things,” Lee pushed back. “Can you explain why you’re concerned that there might be such an [operation]? I’m not saying there won’t be–”
“We have information that leads us to believe they may, and I’m not at the liberty to say anything more than that,” Miller said.
“What kind of information?” Lee pressed.
“I am unable to get further into that information for many reasons that I’m sure you understand,” Miller responded. “We have a declassified certain intelligence and made it public. I will say, I understand, I understand, I really don’t want to relitigate–”
“But you keep saying this, I mean, this is by my count at least the fourth or fifth time since this whole thing began or even before, that you guys say the Russians are going to do these false flag attacks,” Lee shot back.
“We did see false flag attacks, there were some in the opening days of the war, going back – that we predicted and it did come true, I think our track record of declassifying information about what Russia might do has been pretty good.” (RELATED: Unearthed Watchdog Report Reveals US Weapons Meant For Ukraine Fell Into The Hands Of Russians, Criminals)
“I’m not trying to defend Russia or anything I’m just trying to figure out what the, why you guys keep coming out with saying this stuff and it doesn’t happen.”
“I think, a number of things that we have said would happen, Russia in fact did do. If you go back and look at the secretary’s remarks–” Miller said before Lee interjected.
“The Invasion of Ukraine was not a false, like you know–”
“No, but we are re-litigating–” Miller insisted.
“That was not a false flag attack,” Lee pushed back before Miller repeated that the attacks in Donbas did include “some false flag attacks.”