AG Conservative has another one of his must-read threads, this one that takes apart CNN’s big scoop yesterday that a CIA asset close to Russian President Vladimir Putin had to be extracted over worries that he would be outed by President Trump:
So let's talk about the latest story about a CIA asset that had to be extracted from Russia in 2017 because of fear for their safety…
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
TL;DR version? CNN’s version is bogus and has been thoroughly discredited by new reporting by the Washington Post and the NYT:
Summary: Started with a CNN story that blamed Trump for losing key asset. NYT story then revealed that it had little to do with Trump and media questions led to the asset needing to be extracted. Finally, NBC News decided to irresponsibly reveal where that asset was now. https://t.co/tVSSdEVS99
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
Now, back to the whole thread ==>
The story was first reported by CNN's @jimsciutto. Sciutto framed the story to suggest that the extraction was "driven by" President Trump's mishandling of classified information.
That's a serious accusation.https://t.co/OgpeEFgDie
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
I will note that I have been very critical of Trump's handling of classified information. He has the right to declassify things as POTUS, but that does not mean it is a wise move in many instances.
It can be very harmful w/o proper process.
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
However, while I do agree Trump has exercised poor judgement in revealing classified information in the past, the CNN story just didn't add up. There were a lot of holes.
Those holes were filled by a NYT story that followed:https://t.co/jNb3cgPvBp
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
A lot of reporters portrayed the nYT story as confirmation of the CNN story, but it actually provides quite a few details the essentially contradict the central thesis in the CNN story.
So much so that the CNN story probably needs to be retracted.
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
The NYT story points out that the source in question was actually offered an extraction in 2016 (before Trump was President) because CIA sources had already viewed the source as compromised (they rejected).
That doesn't fit with the theory that Trump's handling was responsible.
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
The CIA Spokesman specifically responded to the CNN motive claim, which doesn't make sense with the timeline, by calling it "misguided speculation".
It also isn't clear how the information Trump revealed in the May meeting (which CNN pointed to) would have affected the source.
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
Lastly, the NYT specifically points to media reporting about Russian interference in the election as the reason the CIA believe the source was compromised. That is why they offered to extract that source in 2016, and again successfully in 2017.
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
This is a serious story. Losing a high-level asset in the Russian government is a big deal and deserves solid reporting (which NYT did in this case). Journalists should not be spinning such stories to score political points.
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
Worth noting that outlets such as Vox, The Hill, and The Guardian all picked up CNN's now-discredited version of the story. pic.twitter.com/F5DyLMfgyG
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
Update: The Washington Post confirms that CNN got the story wrong. https://t.co/9HDYJ7Gxld pic.twitter.com/NTfVUWuDiW
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
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P.s.
If you like this thread, consider signing up for my weekly report on media misinformation and bias. You can get a full summary of all these stories in one place each week. https://t.co/JwrJbPimQd
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 10, 2019
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Related:
‘Your side LOST’: @AG_Conservative uses Chris Hayes to DISMANTLE the Left's hatred of the electoral college in perfect thread https://t.co/OGTracXnlo
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 1, 2019
CNN’s Brian Stelter still keeping an eye out for the next #Sharpiegate https://t.co/mzSBpuwbeX
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 10, 2019
WOMP WOMP: CIA Director of Public Affairs dumps ice-cold glass of ‘fake news’ on CNN’s big ‘Russia/Trump exclusive’ https://t.co/fLSVRgW47B
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 9, 2019
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