WTF MSM!? Emails show senior FBI officials knew of CNN's need for a 'news hook' to report on dossier

The real collusion? ...

More evidence … A month ago, I wrote about how the Comey memos showed that former FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper colluded with CNN to provide a “news hook” so that CNN could report on the unverified Steele dossier. Last night we got more information about that collusion in the form of a letter from Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs chairman Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc.

The Federalist’s Sean Davis breaks down what this all means. In short, not only did Comey and Clapper apparently collude with CNN, other top-ranking FBI officials were in on it as well. Davis writes:

Newly revealed e-mails show that former Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) deputy director Andrew McCabe was keenly aware of CNN’s internal understanding of a secret briefing about the infamous Steele dossier, days before CNN published any stories on the matter. The e-mails, which were obtained by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), also reveal that top officials used coded language to refer to the salacious and unverified allegations made by Steele.

Former FBI director James Comey briefed then-President-Elect Donald Trump on January 6, 2017, on at least one unproven allegation contained in Steele’s dossier, which was jointly funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. CNN broke the story about the dossier briefing on January 10, 2017, touching off a firestorm of hysteria that culminated in not just the firing of Comey by Trump, but the eventual appointment of Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Robert Mueller.

Comey claimed that he was compelled to brief Trump on the dossier because “CNN had [it]” and was “looking for a news hook.”

Make no mistake about it, what these emails seem to show is that top-level officials of the FBI worked with a news organization to manufacture a news event that could then be reported on. This wasn’t merely someone leaking the details about an event; this appears to have been FBI working with CNN to create a news event, then leak it.

NBC News “journalist” shares opinion … Earlier today a group of House Republicans, many of whom are members of the House Freedom Caucus, filed a resolution to call for a special counsel to investigate possible Department of Justice misdeeds surrounding the 2016 election. NBC’s congressional correspondent Kasie Hunt was there, and she wasn’t shy about sharing what she thought of the representatives holding the press conference.

What type of rhetoric? The type of rhetoric that dares question whether the power of the federal government was used to spy on the political opponents of the past administration. This tweet by Hunt isn’t coverage. It’s opinion, biased, and not at all what one would expect from a neutral journalist. This is exactly why people don’t trust the media.

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YUGE scoops …

This is BIG!! … The Boston Globe has a very big scoop that is making the rounds on blue-checkmark Twitter. Are you sitting down for this? The aides of a politicians are communicating on behalf of that politician in the politician’s voice. FULL STOP.

That’s the heart of this piece talking about how Trump’s aides mimic his grammatical errors when composing tweets for him. People have been writing in their “boss’” voice for generations. This isn’t really news. It’s sensationalized tabloid fodder.

Say it ain’t so … One of the never-ending criticisms of Donald Trump by the press is how he treats media that is unfavorable to him. It’s as if a politician has never complained about bad press before. Certainly one of the lions of the Democratic Party wouldn’t ever have done that? Right?

Wrong. NewsBusters has a great look back on how then-Sen. John F. Kennedy tried to get a young reporter named Tom Wolfe fired. According to Wolfe, Kennedy threatened him right to his face, saying, “Look, I know your publisher, I know your editor really well …” The notion that somehow Trump calling out the press is something new is absurd.

No … Don Lemon recently said that President Trump “could be” attacking him because he’s black. That’s absurd. Trump has disdain for left-wing reporters regardless of race, gender, creed, or any other number of characteristics. Trump isn’t “attacking” Lemon because he’s black. He’s attacking Lemon because he’s a partisan shill who feigns objectivity.

Sinking feeling …

Before I go, I wanted to share with you an ongoing metaphor for Washington, D.C. Seemingly fed up with the Swamp as much as Americans are, the ground under the city has been literally opening up in sinkholes that have threatened people’s homes, including, apparently, a sinkhole on the grounds of the White House. It seems like Mother Earth may be trying to capture a few journalists on the way to the briefing room.

Thanks again for reading, and let me know what you think of WTF MSM!? by sending me an email at reno@conservativereview.com. Also please feel free to share the newsletter with friends using the forward and subscribe buttons below.