--- title: Sean Spicer Says Russia Investigation Not a 'Witch Hunt' description: Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the Russia investigation is not a "witch hunt," though he denied any collusion. canonical: https://time.com/5342904/sean-spicer-russia-investigation/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-07-19T13:25:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T20:53:53.899Z article:section: Politics og:title: Sean Spicer Says Russia Investigation Not a 'Witch Hunt' og:description: Asked about Trump's Russia press conference, Spicer said: "I’m not going to defend anything. That’s not my job anymore" og:url: https://time.com/5342904/sean-spicer-russia-investigation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7622988e2ec7bf78/698935b57cdbac2eefd5d716/sean-spicer.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4967 og:image:height: 2794 og:image:alt: Sean Spicer Appears At Madame Tussaud's Unveil Of Melania Trump Wax Figure og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Sean Spicer Says Russia Investigation Not a 'Witch Hunt' twitter:description: Asked about Trump's Russia press conference, Spicer said: "I’m not going to defend anything. That’s not my job anymore" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7622988e2ec7bf78/698935b57cdbac2eefd5d716/sean-spicer.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Former Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer Says Russia Investigation Is Not a 'Witch Hunt' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=888b15c4-34c8-421b-b584-816186c0401e&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Jul 19, 2018 1:25 PM UTC  Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on April 25, 2018 in New York City. Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on April 25, 2018 in New York City. Drew Angerer—Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Jul 19, 2018 1:25 PM UTC Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer both acknowledged that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election and denied any collusion from President Donald Trump and his campaign during an appearance on [NBC’s _Today_ show](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sean-spicer-mueller-s-investigation-not-witch-hunt-n892671?cid=sm%5Fnpd%5Fnn%5Ftw%5Fma) Thursday. “I think it’s very important to be clear that Russia meddled in our election and there’s no evidence of collusion,” Spicer told anchor Savannah Guthrie. When asked by Guthrie whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation is a “witch hunt,” [as Trump has repeatedly called it](http://time.com/5001700/donald-trump-russia-witch-hunt/), Spicer said he has “seen no evidence that it is,” before doubling down on his denial of collusion. > [](https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1019913069861003264) Guthrie also questioned Spicer, who appeared on _Today_ to promote his forthcoming book _The Briefing_, about Trump’s contradictory comments about Russian meddling this week. Trump initially [denied that there had been meddling](http://time.com/5339830/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-summit-helsinki-meddling/) during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, [then reversed his comments and claimed he misspoke](http://time.com/5341137/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russian-meddling-correction/). “I’m glad that he clarified his comments, put it that way,” Spicer said on _Today_, later adding that the President “clearly said that he meant to say something different.” When pressed by Guthrie about other inflammatory comments Trump made during the press conference — the President called Putin “extremely strong and powerful in his denial” of meddling, and said he holds “both countries responsible” for strained relations — Spicer responded by saying, “I’m not going to defend anything. That’s not my job anymore.” Despite his [abrupt resignation last year](http://time.com/4868546/sean-spicer-resigns-anthony-scaramucci-donald-trump/), Spicer remained loyal to Trump during the interview, telling Guthrie that Trump is a truthful person and “the ultimate salesman.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5342904/sean-spicer-russia-investigation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5342904/sean-spicer-russia-investigation/"},"headline":"Former Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer Says Russia Investigation Is Not a 'Witch Hunt'","datePublished":"2018-07-19T13:25:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T20:53:53.899Z","description":"Asked about Trump's Russia press conference, Spicer said: \"I’m not going to defend anything. 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