BuzzFeed Fake News Bombshell Report About Trump Fizzled
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
BuzzFeed is yellow journalism at its worst, featuring fake news over the real thing, a site to be avoided, not followed.
One of its earlier reports falsely claimed dozens of Russian payments “finance(d) (the US presidential) campaign of 2016.” Its so-called expose laid an egg.
Money transfers it cited had nothing to do with America’s election, no proof indicating otherwise.
US media have a notorious habit of quoting or citing unnamed sources, commenting on issues furthering their agenda, no proof provided to support claims. Without it they’re baseless.
On January 18, BuzzFeed headlined “President Trump Directed His Attorney Michael Cohen To Lie To Congress About The Moscow Tower Project…according to two (unnamed) federal law enforcement officials involved in an investigation of the matter,” adding:
Cohen allegedly arranged for Trump to meet with Putin during the 2016 campaign to “jump-start tower negotiations. ‘Make it happen,’ the sources said Trump told Cohen.”
Claiming Trump told him to lie about the tower project and timeline is unsupported by credible evidence.
BuzzFeed reporters Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier gave conflicting statements about their report. Cormier admitted seeing no proof backing their claims, reporting only what unnamed sources told them.
Leopold claimed otherwise, saying “(w)e have seen documents. We have been briefed on documents. We are very confident in our reporting.”
Not so fast, according to special counsel Mueller’s spokesman Peter Carr, saying Buzzfeed’s “description of specific statements to the special counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony (were) not accurate.”
Nothing he says is credible. He’s a serial liar and felon. He pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, tax evasion, and campaign finance violations. He earlier admitted that Trump’s efforts to build a tower in Moscow ended in January 2016.
Sputnik News slammed Leopold, saying his latest accusation “isn’t the first time (he) had his sources questioned. His journalistic career is littered with retractions and false reporting.”
His reports are fake news lacking credibility. The Columbia Journalism Review called him a “serial fabulist (a teller of tall tales or fables).” Commenting on the BuzzFeed report, journalist Daniel Lazare said the following:
“We have a reporter who is…factually challenged. We have two anonymous law enforcement officials. We don’t know whether they’re from the Trump team or someone else…”
Cohen is an admitted perjurer, hoping for leniency by cooperating with Mueller. Law Professor Jonathan Turley called him “about as credible as a mob torpedo…” Based on his record, he might say anything for lesser punishment.
The idea of Trump going to Moscow for a real estate deal with Vladimir Putin, Washington’s public enemy No. 1, while campaigning for president, makes no sense on its face.
The scenario BuzzFeed presented would be an impeachable offense if true. No credible proof supports what has all the earmarks of fake news - a BuzzFeed specialty.
A Final Comment
Despite no credibility to the BuzzFeed report, it’s red meat for undemocratic Dems, willing to grab hold of anything to delegitimize Trump for the wrong reasons, aiming to oust him by impeachment.
House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff said he’s “working to secure additional witness testimonies and documents related to the Trump Tower Moscow deal and other investigative matters.”
Mueller’s team accused Cohen of repeatedly lying to Congress about the Moscow Trump Tower deal and DLT’s involvement in it.
In December, he was sentenced to three years in prison for lying to Congress, campaign finance violations, and other financial crimes. He’s a convicted felon with no credibility.
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