AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s governor is lashing out at media reports he planned to leave the state during a budget impasse, and he suggested he makes up stories to mislead reporters.

Republican Gov. Paul LePage criticized the news media for reporting that he planned to leave the state while state government is shut down.

The news stories were based on LePage’s comments to two Republican senators. His office described the reports as “fake news.”

LePage told WGAN-AM on Thursday: “I just love to sit in my office and make up ways so they’ll write these stupid stories because they are just so stupid, it’s awful.”

He also characterized the Maine media as “vile,” ”inaccurate” and “useless.” He says “the sooner the print press goes away, the better society will be.”