White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer | Alex Wong/Getty Images White House: ‘Our intention is never to lie to you’

The White House’s intention is never to lie, press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday, days after delivering a five-minute statement to the press in which he stated at least five demonstrably false so-called facts and took no questions.

“It’s an honor to do this, and yes, I believe that we have to be honest with the American people,” Spicer told reporters Monday at his first official briefing. “I think sometimes we can disagree with the facts. There are certain things that we may not fully understand when we come out, but our intention is never to lie to you.”

Spicer and President Donald Trump’s top aides took heat over the weekend for false claims it made to the press corps about the size of the crowd at Trump's inauguration, which counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway described Sunday as “alternative facts.”

On Monday, Spicer likened his statement over the weekend to a mistake by a reporter or news outlet that calls for a correction.

“That doesn't mean that you were intentionally trying to deceive readers or the American people, does it? And I think we should be afforded the same opportunity,” he said.