Trump administration officials fed news outlets misinformation ahead of President Trump's address to Congress Tuesday night, hoping to get more positive press coverage, CNN reported Wednesday afternoon.

Ahead of Trump's speech, he told numerous news outlets, “The time is right for an immigration bill, as long as there is compromise on both sides,” hinting that he may call for immigration reform, including a possible path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, in his speech to Congress.

But he made no such remarks Tuesday night, and CNN's Sara Murray called it a "bait-and-switch."

“Basically they fed [news outlets] things that they thought these anchors would like, that they thought would give them positive press coverage for the next few hours. A senior administration official admitted that it was a misdirection play," Murray said.

"You will note that when the president was actually out there speaking to the American public, he didn't talk about a path to legal status, he talked about reforming the legal immigration system so it's merit-based," Murray continued. "That means fewer lower-skill workers, fewer people coming on family ties, more people coming on high-skilled visas. That's still closer to a Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon framework of the world than the 'Gang of Eight' who pushed comprehensive immigration reform."