Buzzfeed hafði það eftir tveimur ónafngreindum heimildarmönnum sínum að Donald Trump hafi skipað fyrrum lögmanni sínum, Michael Cohen, að ljúga að þingnefnd um aðkomu Trump að viðskiptum í Rússlandi á meðan að á kosningabaráttu hans stóð.
Sjá einnig: Segja Trump hafa skipað Cohen að ljúga að þingnefnd
Lögfræðingurinn var í desember síðastliðnum dæmdur til þriggja ára fangelsisvistar, meðal annars fyrir lygarnar fyrir þingnefnd. Cohen hafði farið fyrir viðræðum til að liðka fyrir byggingu Trump-turnar í Moskvu, höfuðborgar Rússlands
Cohen játaði lygarnar í nóvember en hann tjáði þingnefndinni að viðræðum hafi verið slitið í janúar 2016 þegar þeim var í raun slitið nokkrum mánuðum síðar.
Heimildarmenn Buzzfeed voru sagðir vinna að áframhaldandi rannsókn málsins gegn Cohen.
Nú hefur embætti sérstaks saksóknara tekið skref sem ekki er hefð fyrir. Embættið hefur þvertekið fyrir það sem fram kemur í fréttaflutningi Buzzfeed News.
UPDATE: A spokesperson for the special counsel is disputing BuzzFeed News’ report. https://t.co/BEoMKiDypnpic.twitter.com/GWWfGtyhaE
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) January 19, 2019
In response to the statement tonight from the Special Counsel's spokesman: We stand by our reporting and the sources who informed it, and we urge the Special Counsel to make clear what he's disputing.
— Ben Smith (@BuzzFeedBen) January 19, 2019
Fjöldi manna tengdir forsetaembættinu fögnuðu yfirlýsingunni, þar á meðal forsetinn sjálfur Donald Trump. Trump sagði daginn í dag vera slæman dag fyrir blaðamennsku en góðan dag fyrir bandarísku þjóðina.
Hann minnti fylgjendur sína einnig á fyrri fréttaflutning miðilsins og sagði falsfréttir óvin þjóðarinnar.
Remember it was Buzzfeed that released the totally discredited “Dossier,” paid for by Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democrats (as opposition research), on which the entire Russian probe is based! A very sad day for journalism, but a great day for our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2019
Fake News is truly the ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2019
I commend Bob Mueller’s office for correcting the BuzzFeed false story that Pres. Trump encouraged Cohen to lie. I ask the press to take heed that their hysterical desire to destroy this President has gone too far. They pursued this without critical analysis all day. #FAKENEWS
— Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) January 19, 2019
#CollusionIllusion. What a bunch of bullshit. #Buzzfeed owes @realDonaldTrump an apology. This was an all-out killer attack on the White House by partisan hacks who knew this was an empty gun not a smoking gun. Doesn’t @POTUS deserve the same fairness as any other American?
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) January 19, 2019
If the media does not spend — minute for minute — the same amount of time on the death of the latest #FakeNews from @BuzzFeed (RIP) that they did speculating about “IF IT’S TRUE !” then they should quit even pretending to be unbiased. What a disgrace. #RIPbuzzfeed
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 19, 2019
It’s almost feels like BuzzFeed’s sources set them up, and Mueller knew it.
— Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) January 19, 2019
Fascinating that Rudy Giuliani and Trump supporters are now taking Robert Mueller's office at their word about inaccuracies in the BuzzFeed report after attacking nearly every move that Mueller has made over the last year and a half. It's been an interesting night.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 19, 2019
