The House Intelligence Committee said it did not review the whistleblower's complaint in advance — just as President Trump claimed, without evidence, that Chair Adam Schiff "helped write it."

First, some background: The New York Times reported minutes before Trump’s press conference began that the House Intel committee was contacted by the whistleblower for “guidance” on how to report his complaint.

Patrick Boland, a spokesperson for Schiff, confirmed that the whistleblower contacted the committee for guidance, "like other whistleblowers have done before," but insisted the committee did not see the complaint in advance.

However, President Trump claimed, without any evidence, that Schiff knew about the whistleblowers' complaint and helped author it.

“I think it’s a scandal that he knew before, I’d go a step further — I think he probably helped write it. OK? That’s what the word is," Trump said.

Trump added that said he gives the New York Times “a lot of respect” for reporting the story — even though less than an hour ago he was slamming a report by two New York Times journalists.