framer
Well-Known Member
Oh Noes!!!!!!! Russia has compromised Mueller!
Donald Fires FBI Director who's investigating Russian Election Hacking
- Thread starter The Thriller
- Start date
Oh Noes!!!!!!! Russia has compromised Mueller!
Buzzfeed is a questionable source.
What does all this show?
#1 Mueller's team makes very few statements. But in this instance they wanted to correct falsehoods. They wanted to direct back towards the facts.
#2 CNN wanted to interview representatives from Buzzfeed to get info from the source (of the source) but in light of the Muller team's statement they instead reported that the story had been contradicted by the Mueller team.
So all of the reporting of the Buzzfeed story I have seen made clear that none of the information provided by Buzzfeed had been independently verified. It is not uncommon when a news outlet breaks a story that other news outlets report on the "breaking story." They almost always report it as a story by (whoever) that they have not independently verified. That's what happened here. Buzzfeed has sources. They believe their sources. They reported the story based on their confidence in those sources.
If this report was flat out wrong, Buzzfeed will either have to explain how thy were duped or they will become an illegitimate news source. That's how journalism works.
CNN didn't issue a retraction. No one but Buzzfeed needs to issue a retraction. They haven't done that yet, They have said they are looking into this further. The entire news media doesn't have to issue a retraction here.
Some of you don't know how journalism works. I mean, I was on my middle school and high school newspaper, so it's like I'm a ****ing expert here. Which is pretty damn funny.
Zombie
Well-Known Member
FWIW buzzfeed is far from questionable. They've broken numerous stories in Trump Russia. They were first to break the Steele Dossier and Trump Tower Moscow.
Zombie
Well-Known Member
Nice hit piece tho.
Well then let's see where this goes. Either they are going to contradict a very rare public statement by the Mueller team or they are going to explain how they got duped. If they go down the road of contradicting the Mueller team statement they damn well better have the goods.
Well, CNN and everyone else who reported on the Buzzfeed piece needs to clarify where this story came from. It's not really a "hit piece' if it's accurate, is it?
It's up to buzzfeed to either clear this **** up or issue a retraction. Right?
Zombie
Well-Known Member
Mueller's statement is incredibly vague and I imagine carefully worded for a reason. It definitely doesn't necessarily mean that buzzfeed was 'duped'.
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
Mueller’s team didn’t claim that Buzzfeed’s story was bogus. I think we should carefully read Team Mueller’s statement. Also interesting, Cohen hasn’t denied the Buzzfeed story. Hmmm
It’s pretty hilarious to watch the radical right jump all over this. As if Hannity and team trump haven’t lied through their teeth on nearly a daily basis. Remember how the trump tower meeting never happened? And then how only adoptions were discussed until they weren’t? And how Donald had no idea that the meeting happened until he personally dictated a statement for his son to read?
Keep rubbing this thing repubs. Whatever to keep you distracted from the government shutdown and trump’s failing presidency.
It’s pretty hilarious to watch the radical right jump all over this. As if Hannity and team trump haven’t lied through their teeth on nearly a daily basis. Remember how the trump tower meeting never happened? And then how only adoptions were discussed until they weren’t? And how Donald had no idea that the meeting happened until he personally dictated a statement for his son to read?
Keep rubbing this thing repubs. Whatever to keep you distracted from the government shutdown and trump’s failing presidency.
It doesn't mean that. But they felt it was necessary to make a public statement that claims made in that story were not 100% correct.
Obviously there has been a firestorm since the story came out. If true it meant that Trump had committed an absolute crime and that he should be impeached. The Mueller team felt they needed to make clear that the report was not 100% consistent with the information they have.
So when I say buzzfeed needs to explain how they were "duped" maybe that's too strong. Maybe they need to clarify a possible different interpretation of the facts. I mean, if the report comes back and it matches greater than 90% with the buzzfeed story on significant facts then I'm sure they will proclaim victory.
But what if there are no documents to back up this story? It's just Cohen's word? That's a different story than what was reported. If that's the case then the story wasn't really correct. I mean we're not Donald Trump's spin crew, we have to deal in facts 'round these parts.
Zombie
Well-Known Member
Well, I would say Mueller's team is the one who should clarify what exactly they are disputing. Take a close look at that sentencing memo, it essentially makes the same claim the Buzzfeed piece does, namely that Cohen lied to congress at the direction of 'Client 1.' It wouldn't have made its way into that agreement on Cohen's word alone.
Muller didn't publish a news piece about this. They are saying that the Buzzfeed piece is not 100% consistent with their findings. They don't have to clarify ****. Buzzfeed made claims about what the Muller team had, the Muller team said, "you don't have that exactly right."
Hotdog
Well-Known Member
So we are supposed to trust the reporting of a self admitted mentally ill, drug addicted, lying, cheating and backstabbing man and his reporting on "facts"?
The character of this man doesnt alarm you at all? His past reporting scandals dont make you a little untrustworthy of him? Is this real life?
I dont care what he has got right either. There is clearly an issue with him. Even if he "got better" for a period of time there is always the high likelihood that he reverts back. Which is probably what is going on here.
I would say there is a reason he is at Buzzfeed, but good hell, he shouldn't even have a job there.
Did you quote me in that for a reason?
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
But yeah, Buzzfeed sucks! Where’s my pitchfork?!
Zombie
Well-Known Member
And yet as that sentencing memo makes clear, they do believe Cohen lied to congress on behalf of client one. Their statement today leaves the impression that isn't the case. So, yeah, it's kind of on them to clear that up imo.
Hotdog
Well-Known Member
Well, Im just used to you defending the media.
Red
Well-Known Member
The Cohen sentencing agreement does give the impression, at least, that Cohen lied "in accordance with Client 1's directives", and the statement from the Special Council's office yesterday does not deny the possibility that Trump told Cohen to lie.
The statement from the Special Council's office states that the Buzzfeed report was "not accurate". The two journalists have to have got something wrong. Both the chief editor of Buzzfeed, as well as Anthony Cormier, the non-controversial of the two journalists, were interviewed by phone on MSNBC last night. The editor stands by the story. Cormier stated that it was he, not Leopold, the journalist with the checkered past(although he was a finalist for a Pulitzer for his reporting) who confirmed what their two sources were saying. Without seeing the "documents", I'm not sure how that confirmation could be had, but, at any rate, that's their position at the moment.
We are not going to see Buzzfeed out their sources. And despite Buzzfeed's editor asking for clarification from the Special Council's office, we are not going to see further statements from Mueller's team.
It took 24 hours for Mueller's office to issue their rare rebuke of a published report. No doubt they spent some time ensuring those sources were not from within their own office. They have consistently been leak proof from the start.
I think the rebuke came, not just because the report was "not accurate". In April, 2018, following reports that Cohen had been in Prague, Mueller's office issued a statement telling the press to check their sources carefully because not every story being published was accurate. So Mueller's office has urged caution before.
I think yesterday's rebuttal was not just because Buzzfeed's report was not 100% accurate, though Buzzfeed says otherwise, but also due to the "impeachment hysteria" that overcame both journalists, and, I think more importantly, Democratic members of Congress. If the report was not completely accurate, Mueller would want to be sure nobody thought this leak originated in his office, and Mueller would not want "impeachment hysteria" overwhelming the House. If any conclusions of the report were accurate, such as Trump telling Cohen to lie, Mueller wants that info released on his terms, and his timetable.
I think the "impeachment hysteria" struck Mueller as too serious not to tamp down. Since it was based on a report containing inaccuracies, his office felt obligated to shoot it down. In time, we will see if any of it was accurate. In the meantime, it's a black eye for journalism, and Trump's team will use it going forward.
The statement from the Special Council's office states that the Buzzfeed report was "not accurate". The two journalists have to have got something wrong. Both the chief editor of Buzzfeed, as well as Anthony Cormier, the non-controversial of the two journalists, were interviewed by phone on MSNBC last night. The editor stands by the story. Cormier stated that it was he, not Leopold, the journalist with the checkered past(although he was a finalist for a Pulitzer for his reporting) who confirmed what their two sources were saying. Without seeing the "documents", I'm not sure how that confirmation could be had, but, at any rate, that's their position at the moment.
We are not going to see Buzzfeed out their sources. And despite Buzzfeed's editor asking for clarification from the Special Council's office, we are not going to see further statements from Mueller's team.
It took 24 hours for Mueller's office to issue their rare rebuke of a published report. No doubt they spent some time ensuring those sources were not from within their own office. They have consistently been leak proof from the start.
I think the rebuke came, not just because the report was "not accurate". In April, 2018, following reports that Cohen had been in Prague, Mueller's office issued a statement telling the press to check their sources carefully because not every story being published was accurate. So Mueller's office has urged caution before.
I think yesterday's rebuttal was not just because Buzzfeed's report was not 100% accurate, though Buzzfeed says otherwise, but also due to the "impeachment hysteria" that overcame both journalists, and, I think more importantly, Democratic members of Congress. If the report was not completely accurate, Mueller would want to be sure nobody thought this leak originated in his office, and Mueller would not want "impeachment hysteria" overwhelming the House. If any conclusions of the report were accurate, such as Trump telling Cohen to lie, Mueller wants that info released on his terms, and his timetable.
I think the "impeachment hysteria" struck Mueller as too serious not to tamp down. Since it was based on a report containing inaccuracies, his office felt obligated to shoot it down. In time, we will see if any of it was accurate. In the meantime, it's a black eye for journalism, and Trump's team will use it going forward.
Yeah, they'll clear it up when they produce their report.