There has not been a dip in morale among officials in the U.S. intelligence community, according to a top U.S. counterintelligence official.

“I don’t see a dip in morale,” Bill Evanina, the national counterintelligence executive, said in response to questions at an event in Washington Thursday evening. “The media created this morale issue.”

“Write a story about how the intelligence community does not have a morale problem,” he later said, again responding to a question from a reporter.

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There has been a flurry of reports and speculation about low morale in the intelligence community ever since President Trump expressed skepticism about intelligence officials’ conclusions that Russia engaged in a cyber and disinformation campaign to influence the presidential election.

According to an unclassified report released in January, Moscow had an established preference for Trump and aimed to undermine American democracy and damage Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonHillicon Valley: FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden | Treasury Dept. sanctions Iranian government-backed hackers The Hill's Campaign Report: Arizona shifts towards Biden | Biden prepares for drive-in town hall | New Biden ad targets Latino voters FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden MORE.

Trump has more recently taken aim at the intelligence community over leaks about contact between his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and the Russian ambassador to the U.S., a development that led Flynn to resign earlier this month.

Evanina was speaking at a briefing hosted by the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, a cybersecurity think tank, on insider threats to the U.S. public and private sector.

Evanina was appointed to his post in June 2014 and oversees counterintelligence programs to protect government and private-sector entities from intelligence collection or foreign attacks. He previously held posts at the CIA and FBI.

He will soon have a new boss, pending confirmation of Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence.

Former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats Daniel (Dan) Ray CoatsFBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Trump, Biden renew push for Latino support Former Intel chief had 'deep suspicions' that Putin 'had something on Trump': book MORE, whom Trump announced as his pick for intelligence chief in January, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for his confirmation hearing next week.