The CIA just made a rare statement calling out CNN for “simply false” and “misguided” reporting. What’s even more shocking is that the New York Times backed up the CIA’s statement with a blistering rebuke of the claim that President Trump “directly endangered” a US spy. Not true!
According to the CIA, CNN’s Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto published a “misguided” and “simply false” article claiming the CIA had pulled a US spy out of Russia because of President Trump. He said Trump had “repeatedly mishandled classified intelligence and could contribute to exposing the covert source as a spy.”
Is it any surprise that Sciutto is another former Obama administration official who is now a CNN correspondent hell bent on damaging President Trump? This isn’t the first time Sciutto has been called out on a big lie about President Trump. The DHS called him out on a lie about Trump late last year (see video below).
The CIA’s Director for Public Affairs released a statement blasting CNN’s false reporting:
“CNN’s narrative that the Central Intelligence Agency makes life-or-death decisions based on anything other than objective analysis and sound collection is simply false. Misguided speculation that the President’s handling of our nation’s most sensitive intelligence…which he has access to each and every day…drove an alleged exfiltration operation is inaccurate.”
The New York Times also just published a piece that also slams CNN’s reporting saying that the CIA “made the arduous decision in late 2016” to offer to extract the source from Russia. The New York Times disputes the 2017 date that the CIA offered to extract the spy by saying it was in “late 2016.”
Aaron Mate calls out Jim Sciutto on his false claim:
There's been a pattern of intel leaks claiming to have high-level Russian sources followed by other intel leaks voicing concern that those sources are being exposed. It's fishy. Also fishy: this claim that Trump revealed secret intel to Russian visitors. It was already public. https://t.co/XawduLbxC4
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) September 9, 2019
The Times closed the door on the false reporting from CNN with this statement:
“Former intelligence officials said there was no public evidence that Mr. Trump directly endangered the source, and other current American officials insisted that media scrutiny of the agency’s sources alone was the impetus for the extraction.”
Aaron Mate calls the report from CNN “bunk”:
Yet one more Russiagate "bombshell" turns out to be a dud. Between today's CNN one and @lawrence's recent claim about Russian oligarchs co-signing Trump's bank loans, there's at least a little progress: they're being exposed as fraudulent at a faster pace than before.
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) September 10, 2019
This isn’t the first time Jim Sciutto has been called out for fake news! The DHS called him out on a lie in December of last year:
The Department of Homeland Security called out fake news from CNN!
CNN’s Jim Schiutto tweeted out a slam to President Trump on his comment regarding immigration numbers and terrorists caught at our border:
The president has now twice used the threat of terrorism to justify the wall. Facts supplied by DHS don’t back that up. https://t.co/N3XDabBPRO
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) December 12, 2018
The DHS replied to the CNN anchor:
We are happy to provide the facts — but you never reached out. In fact, DHS prevented 3,755 known or suspected terrorists from traveling to or entering the U.S. in FY 17. That’s in addition to 17,526 criminals, 1,019 gang members, and 3,028 special interest aliens. #FactsFirst
We are happy to provide the facts — but you never reached out. In fact, DHS prevented 3,755 known or suspected terrorists from traveling to or entering the U.S. in FY 17. That's in addition to 17,526 criminals, 1,019 gang members, and 3,028 special interest aliens. #FactsFirst https://t.co/4naI8XOg9x
— ARCHIVED DHS Spokesperson (@SpoxDHS) December 12, 2018
When President Trump met with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, he spoke about the terrorists coming across our border.
Here’s what President Trump had to say about terrorists: “People are pouring into our country, including terrorists. We caught 10 terrorists over a short period of time.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRTyHYvR5Qs
The DHS stands behind President Trump and his assertion that we need a wall to help us stop the flow of terrorists in the US.