Buzzfeed admits they got it wrong

[hislegacy]

Our reporters went back to the two senior law enforcement sources who had told them, as the article put it, that “Donald Trump directed his longtime attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials involved in an investigation of the matter.” The sources confirmed the story, again.

What exactly was Carr’s statement disputing? Which description, and which characterization? The special counsel’s office never explained, so we have been trying to report it out.

Today, with the release of the Mueller report, we know which characterization Carr was disputing: Specifically, that the series of interactions between Trump, Cohen, and their lawyers did not, in the prosecutors’ view, amount to Trump “directing” Cohen to lie.
​

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/bensmith/how-we-characterized-michael-cohens-testimony

The Inspector General's coming report might address these senior law enforcement leaks - which is illegal.

 

[CGL1023]

Our reporters went back to the two senior law enforcement sources who had told them, as the article put it, that “Donald Trump directed his longtime attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials involved in an investigation of the matter.” The sources confirmed the story, again.

What exactly was Carr’s statement disputing? Which description, and which characterization? The special counsel’s office never explained, so we have been trying to report it out.

Today, with the release of the Mueller report, we know which characterization Carr was disputing: Specifically, that the series of interactions between Trump, Cohen, and their lawyers did not, in the prosecutors’ view, amount to Trump “directing” Cohen to lie.
​

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/bensmith/how-we-characterized-michael-cohens-testimony

The Inspector General's coming report might address these senior law enforcement leaks - which is illegal.

Thanks for posting the link; I would have never found it on my own, not being a Buzzfeed follower.

 

[hislegacy]

Thanks for posting the link; I would have never found it on my own, not being a Buzzfeed follower.

Same here - I found the link on one of the five news feeds I follow. and you are very welcome.

 

[Vega1]

And Robert Mueller said Buzzfeed's story on Michael Cohen was inaccurate.

Mueller Report Refutes Buzzfeed Claim That Trump Directed Cohen to Lie to Congress

 

[LivingWordUnity]

Our reporters went back to the two senior law enforcement sources who had told them, as the article put it, that “Donald Trump directed his longtime attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials involved in an investigation of the matter.” The sources confirmed the story, again.

What exactly was Carr’s statement disputing? Which description, and which characterization? The special counsel’s office never explained, so we have been trying to report it out.

Today, with the release of the Mueller report, we know which characterization Carr was disputing: Specifically, that the series of interactions between Trump, Cohen, and their lawyers did not, in the prosecutors’ view, amount to Trump “directing” Cohen to lie.
​

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/bensmith/how-we-characterized-michael-cohens-testimony

The Inspector General's coming report might address these senior law enforcement leaks - which is illegal.

Yep, there's a world of difference between knowing that someone lied and directing them to lie.

 

[DaisyDay]

Totally exonerates Donald:

The President's conduct towards Michael Cohen, a former Trump Organization executive, changed from praise for Cohen when he falsely minimized the President's involvement in the Trump Tower Moscow project, to castigation of Cohen when he became a cooperating witness. From September 2015 to June2016, Cohen had pursued the Trump Tower Moscow project on behalf of the Trump Organization and had briefed candidate Trump on the project numerous times, discussing whether Trump should travel to Russia to advance the deal. In 2017, Cohen provided false testimony to Congress about the project including stating that he had only briefed Trump on the project three times and never discussed travel to Russia with him, in an effort to adhere to a "party line" that Cohen said was developed to minimize the President's connections to Russia. While preparing for his congressional testimony, Cohen had extensive discussions with the President's personal counsel, who, according to Cohen, said that Cohen should "stay on message" and not contradict the President. After the FBI searched Cohen's home and office in April 2018, the President publicly asserted that Cohen would not "flip," contacted him directly to tell him to "stay strong," and privately passed messages of support to him. Cohen also discussed pardons with the President's personal counsel and believed that if he stayed on message he would be taken care of. But after Cohen began cooperating with the government in the summer of 2018, the President publicly criticized him, called him a "rat," and suggested that his family members had committed crimes.

Page 218, Mueller Report
​

Cohen and Donald had a long relationship. Since Cohen could not provide concrete proof that Donald told him to lie, his belief might only be his belief and not a mutual understanding. Furthermore, as Cohen is on record as lying quite a bit, his word by itself cannot be taken as proof of anything - evidence, yes, but proof, no.

On a different note, doesn't this smack of witness tampering?

 

[LoAmmi]

Buzzfeed got it wrong.


You guys going to acknowledge that many of the stories ran by other organizations decried as FAKE NEWS were confirmed to be in the Report?