***To read the full blog, please check out the complete post on NewsBusters***
Buzzfeed News got into hot water over the weekend, after the Special Counsel’s Office issued a rare public rebuke regarding the outlet’s claim President Trump directed his attorney to lie to Congress. Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith and co-author of the dubious piece Anthony Cormier appeared on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” to defend themselves and “to talk about process”, but what viewers got were shady deflections.
After being introduced by host Brian Stelter, Smith shared his pleasure for being on the show: “I'm glad you began with the question of the truth of the allegations because ultimately, this is a media show, we're here to talk about process, we're happy to talk about that.” But he immediately launched into talking about what Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said in the previous hour.
A couple minutes into their over 20 minute-long interview, Stelter questioned Cormier on what his sources were telling now, given Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s rebuke. “I have further confirmation that this is right. We’re being told stand our ground. That this is –that our reporting will be borne to be accurate. And we’re 100 percent behind it,” he declared.
But when asked who was telling him that, Cormier refused to say: “I'm not going to talk about my sources. I got to be honest with you. This morning, Rudy Giuliani seemed to signal that there’s going to be a leak investigation.”
As CNN had previously reported, Cormier’s co-author Jason Leopold has had a long “checkered past” when it came to reporting. Allegations against Leopold included plagiarism and a case in 2006 where he falsely claimed in a report that White House official Karl Rove was facing an “imminent” indictment, but nothing happened.
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