The New York Times first reported last night that Chinese and Russian intelligence have been listening to Trump phone calls when he uses his insecure iPhone.
The Chinese government is now officially denying that report, but they've also confirmed it in their own way.
China's foreign ministry says it's "fake news," but they also suggested that Trump use a phone that's been banned by the federal government because it poses a security risk.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that the journalists behind the report in the New York Times “are sparing no efforts to win the Academy Award for best screenplay.”
“Firstly, the New York Times should know that such report just provides another piece of evidence that the NYT is making fake news,” Hua said at a daily news briefing.
“Secondly, I suggest they replace their iPhone with Huawei ones if they are really concerned about security issues,” Hua said.
It's not much of a joke if you have to explain it but, if you weren't aware, Huawei was banned from contracts with the federal government out of concern that the Chinese government could use it to compromise national security.
It's not a coincidence that saying the New York Times is "sparing no efforts to win the Academy Award for best screenplay" sounds exactly like something Trump himself would say. I would not be surprised if Trump has used those exact words at some point while he's popping off to anyone who will listen to him in private.
The Chinese know exactly who and what they're dealing with. They've been listening.