So what? The WH hasn't denied or challenged the charge and has instead trotted out a bunch of surrogates to say that such things are common practice. That's a tacit confirmation of the reporting.
Back channels ARE common when an administration is actually in office - remember, we only have one president at a time - and they are also common practice when they involve a member of the WH staff. You just go to State, and they set it up.
They are NOT common when the person setting it up is a civilian and not yet a member of the administration or been given a security clearance, or wants to use encrypted foreign communication equipment located in a foreign SCIF room, which would make it very difficult for US intelligence to find out what's going on.
The purpose of a back channel is to shield what you're doing from the public, not shield it from your own government.
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