CNN thought they had published a bombshell.
They reported that President-elect Trump had been briefed on rumors that Russian agents had obtained compromising information on him.
But within hours, their story began to crumble.
CNN’s so-called bombshell report was in regards to a memo prepared by a former British Intelligence Officer.
The former Intelligence Officer had been hired by Trump’s opponents durging the Republican primary.
The work continued even after Trump clinched the nomination, but with the support of Democrats also.
However, the information in the dossier is nothing but lurid gossip.
It contains allegations that Trump officials met with Russian government agents and exchanged information during his campaign.
But there is one big problem.
All the allegations are unproven.
So far, not a shred of proof exists substantiating the fact that Russian Intelligence possesses any compromising information on Trump.
While the report states Trump, Obama, and the Gang of 8 – the bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees – were briefed on the documents, it does not mean the Intelligence community also believes them to be true.
In fact, CNN’s own reporting states they could not verify the allegations included in the memo:
“CNN has reviewed a 35-page compilation of the memos, from which the two-page synopsis was drawn. The memos originated as opposition research, first commissioned by anti-Trump Republicans, and later by Democrats. At this point, CNN is not reporting on details of the memos, as it has not independently corroborated the specific allegations. But, in preparing this story, CNN has spoken to multiple high-ranking intelligence, administration, congressional and law enforcement officials, as well as foreign officials and others in the private sector with direct knowledge of the memos.”
While CNN only reported on the memos, it was the anti-Trump website BuzzFeed who originally published the memos.
However, even BuzzFeed’s editor, Ben Smith, acknowledged the memos were riddled with errors and showed “serious reasons” to think they were false, but published them anyways – despite no media outlet possessing any evidence to substantiate them.
Here's the note I sent to @buzzfeednews staff this evening pic.twitter.com/OcAloWzVzb
— Ben Smith (@BuzzFeedBen) January 11, 2017
Journalists acknowledged these documents had been shopped for months during the campaign, but despite time and effort being put in to investigating their claims, no one could find any evidence to back up the assertions that Trump was compromised or his campaign team was in contact with Russia.
Politico’s Ken Vogel tweeted they had investigated the claims but could not corroborate the story.
Kenneth P. VogelVerified account@kenvogel
Kenneth P. Vogel Retweeted Kenneth P. Vogel
To be clear: we couldn’t corroborate the story, which is why we didn’t publish anything. Not because this particular part seemed doubts.
Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen – the man identified in the dossier as meeting in Prague with Russian officials in August of 2016 – vigorously denied the charged.
I have never been to Prague in my life. #fakenews pic.twitter.com/CMil9Rha3D
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) January 11, 2017
Evidence also emerged Cohen was actually in Los Angeles with his son visiting colleges when the documents supposedly placed him in Prague.
SCOOP: Two USC baseball sources confirm for me that @MichaelCohen212 + son visited campus on August 29th, time report places him in Prague.
— Elaina Plott (@elainaplott) January 11, 2017
Trump responded and blasted the entire report as “fake news”.
FAKE NEWS – A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2017
Another red flag with the report is, although it tries to dress the documents up as being an Intelligence assessment by identifying the source as a former British MI6 officer, and that Obama, Trump and Congressional leaders were briefed on the information by the Intelligence community, the memo is nothing more than political opposition research.
It was a partisan document prepared by sources with an axe to grind.
Some critics speculate this in an Intelligence community leak designed to get back at Trump for questioning their conclusion that the Russians were behind the hacking of Democrats during the election.
Others note the media is now throwing out all standards and ethics in their quest to destroy Trump’s Presidency.
There are also questions being raised about the leaks themselves.
Is the Intelligence community – or officials with knowledge of this briefing – declaring war on Trump and resorting to fake news to win their battle?
By publishing these claims, the media is essentially accusing Trump of treason and presenting no evidence to back up their case.
It’s a dangerous precedent that threatens to undermine the Trump Presidency.
If anyone is guilty of multiple counts of treason it would be the Obama/Clinton/CNN team. Because of the control the MSM has they will continue to get away with it
Buzzfeed will be changing their name to BuzzKill as in DOA. Anyone with any sense of how ruthless politics is knows full well if this dossier was around for months but is now just coming out it is false, totally unverifiable which means those at the top of the elites realized it is worthless. Shame on Mr. McCain if the reports of him giving the folder to FBI officials are true and if he participated in the initiation of the witch hunt for dirt on the President-elect. The Swamp get bigger and bigger with each passing day. Quit now Mr. McCain while you still have some shred of dignity left to claim.
What makes you think that that dirtbag even has a shred if dignity? He was a traitor as a prisoner and then a Manchurian candidate. He does not even deserve the time of day.
How about ROADKILL?
I know it would be difficult but I would love to see Trump’s attorneys file a civil suit for this cheap excuse at trying to bring down the President-Elect. Yellow journalism at it’s worst.
So, McCain and Graham paid Christopher Steele to investigate Trump. Steele fabricated memos or just interviewed those who dreamed them up and their sordid details. Democrats eventually came on board with the two RINOs and then a two page synopsis was arranged based on the lies of the memos. CNN instead of investigating the accuracy or reality of the sordid details on the memos, gave credence to the rumors and unproven allegations by airing a story on them.
The Corrupt News Network also known as the Clinton News Network has been revealed as purveyors of “faux news” once again. Journalistic ethics does not exist with CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC. Why would anyone watch or listen to their newscasts?
I have NOT watched any of those channels in over 30 years, and
I never will!!
It would be harder to do this if Hill and Obama were in prison.
liberals = worthless scum bastards of the earth
when is the evil, corrupt, felon clinton bitch going to jail???
The headline is ludicrous. CNN reported on a memo published by BuzzFeed. CNN made no claims. Get the story straight and be fair!
no you need to get the story straight I watched the Trump press conference and I watch the chop job that Acosta perpetrated in his fake cut and splice job on and what he wanted Trump to have said and admitted and it was clear CNN bullshit and that is fair and that is the correct story. Acosta was wrong and CNN was wrong for posting news of a leaked meeting on a dossier that was not proven truthful in fact just a few checks it was discovered that almost all of the print in that dossier was false and a hatchet job designed to trash President-Elect Trump. Which is FAKE news and fake news should not be reported CNN all day long posted and boasted about the entire dossier and slammed Trumps lawyer with the degrading claims that he shared meeting with the Russians and he was noted as meeting them in Prague while entertaining himself in sex palor while getting GOLDEN SHOWERS that was proven fake just be viewing Trumps lawyers passport which does not have the entry stamp of the Czech Government so again CNN standard Tumps Lawyer falsely When in 8 hours Trump investigators found out that it was indeed another man with the same name but from a different country. which Trump does not even know. Don Lemon alone posted this on his trashy show and slammed Trump about this the night it came out when the all other News Stations refused to even talk about it because it was not proven fact. The only reason it was not on Fox is because Megyn Kelly is no longer at Fox News or she have follow Don Lemon’s Narrative and made her whole show about this Dossier like Don Lemon did. So if you don’t know what the hell your talking about keep your mouth shut as I know what happened as I watched the CNN the minute news hit about this dumb report cause I knew they would jump on it in 2 seconds flat and they did. I watched CNN most of the night cause I loved watching them swallow that hook line and sinker and the entire fishing pole and even the dock the pole was on and they did? All Evening, Night and the next day till the news broke that it was fake Then I watched Acosta slam Trump during his Press Conference and I again switched back to see how they handled that and the chop and spliced the 10 minute segment on how Acosta asked several questions to Trump and he chopped and pieced 2 or 3 of Trumps different answers into one and even spliced the same answer 2 or 3 different times with a few spliced changes which again was a CNN hatchet job or President-Elect Trump. Which again was bullshit. Then there is people like you who praise a bullshit news channel such as CNN as being truthful and correct which points me back to my message to shut the hell up unless you know what you are talking about!!!!!!
No. But they had to advertise the issue knowing it was fake. They are and will always be prejudiced against Trump. It should be called Clinton news network!
Yeah be fair just like CNN was for putting this story out there when they knew it was not credible.All the other News media knew about this but had the brains not to put it out there.So Laura McCulloch you have a CNN brain. Sorry about your luck.
If you hit on Lara,s name you will see how she believes liberals can do no wrong,she has it in her little brainwashed mind that Clinton and Obama are angels.She believes every liberal word ever said.Just look at the proof in her posts.
Indeed, and “she” is running a separate troll account to up-thumb “herself” from.
Yea, brush aside honesty, ethics and such. CNN has no desire or reason to verify anything they broadcast, not even the 96% +/- they fabricate. Inn fact, laws regarding intentionally publishing false and unverified information, slander and libel with intent and malice of forethought to cause irreparable harm to RNC, Trump, Pence, et al, gross negligence when they could have and did not verify any of it (and bragged about it)…and treason now that it is involving foreign governments – just to hit the major laws they broke. Once CNN put their name on it, literally or by publishing it, it belonged to them. They own it, via common law, copyrights, liability and all.
It’s just the law. Perhaps some are not familiar with it due to those high profile folks – the Clintons, Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Warren, Cecile Richards, the professional racists of ACLU and NAACP; CNN, New York Times, etc., who are void of ethics, moral integrity and honesty ~ and are NEVER held accountable as they should be.
God Bless America.
Sure glad you pointed that out! Never, ever seen the left do that. #sarcasm
I believe it threatens to further undermine the idiots putting that crap out there!
You are right.
And this is why Trump was elected- because of this very bull sh!t from the left and the MSM
The only ones that need to have their butts in prison is CNN and Obummer. That’s all that comes from the left people in this country: lies, lies, lies and when the lies don’t work it is pure unadulterated HATRED, hatred, and more hatred thrown in with childish accusations. What a sick a.. bunch of people. Communist News Network (CNN) needs to be shut down and run out of this country. There is not one person that knows how to actually report and investigate properly.
Even …IF… the Russkies leaked the info…
Blaming the Russkies for the demise of hk,
would be like blaming Woodward and Bernstein for the demise of Nixon.
Excellent point! They are all sidestepping the fact that the DNC was caught breaking the law! All this is just diversionary tactics to take the focus away from their wrongdoing.+
When will this madness end? America is under siege from Islam and yet they fight with each other. Let me rephrase that – Democrats are at war with Trump so they have to cook up more fake news and evidence to support their claims. America is still strong enough to resist any outside attacks but attacks from inside America from Democrats and Islam could swing the balance. Trump will not allow that to happen and perhaps, soon we will start to see peope being charged and covited of treason.
Darn, these people are acting like a bunch of communists lying and making stuff up, even planting so called evidence, what school did these so called Americans go to, the school of the Communist Party. They really want control of this country. Stalin would be proud of them. And McClain, what did he think he was doing, he didn’t think he was playing into these communist’s hands.
>>>…acting like a bunch of communists…<<<
I guess that's why the commies stopped running their own candidates,
and just endorse the demoncraps now.
Oh, good one, I agree they found a major U.S. party that the communists could use because the DMC picked up their ideas and techniques. It was easy to move in.
The entire political establishment is terrified of Trump. They KNOW he will drain the swamp- and both Republican and Democrats will be without all their many perks, and side deals, and self deals, and benefits and gimmes.
Its a different world- and NOT the “New World Order” commanded by Soros and tried to put into place by the uber rich Global Elitists. It is finally about Americans again.
Yea, brush aside honesty, ethics and such. CNN has no desire or reason to verify anything they broadcast, not even all that they fabricate. In fact, laws regarding intentionally publishing false and unverified information, slander and libel with intent and malice of forethought to cause irreparable harm to RNC, Trump, Pence, et al, gross negligence when they could have and did not verify any of it (and bragged about it)…and treason now that it is involving foreign governments – just to hit the major laws they broke. Once CNN put their name on it, literally or by publishing it, it belonged to them. They own it, via common law and copyrights, liability and all.
It’s just the law. Perhaps some are not familiar with it due to those high profile folks – the Clintons, Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Warren, Cecile Richards, the professional racists of ACLU and NAACP; CNN, NBC, ABC, New York Times, etc., who are void of ethics, moral integrity and honesty ~ and are NEVER held accountable as they should be.
God Bless America.
The only “leaking” was done by DNC Sanders-supporters who were ticked-off about how the DNC set-up Bernie Sanders to lose the nomination to Hillary.
i can see it now , 4 years of one atempt after another to smear trump , hopefully trump will nip it in the bud , and get the fcc to start laying 10 million dollar fines on any one who puts out lies and fake news that will end this crap and use the money to pay down the debt
This is as bad as that story that went around about barak’s homosexual romps in the chicago bath houses
and his drug use. Oh wait. That was provable but the media never bothered to “investigate” that.