During Poppy Harlow’s Wednesday show, CNN Newsroom, the anchor took the time to fact check some of President Trump’s tweets from that morning. However, Harlow stopped the buck halfway on one of the tweets, choosing to ignore a valid comparison to Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.
Trump made the claim that violating campaign finance law is not a crime. Which is, in fact, false. He then continued to draw a comparison to a $375,000 settlement between the FEC and the Obama campaign. The settlement that was paid in 2013 was penance for concealing donors during the 2008 presidential election. Instead of doing their due diligence and fact checking the entire Trump tweet, CNN moved on quickly to continue pushing the story about former Trump lawyer, Michael Cohen:
“And then the president wrongly claimed this -- quote -- "Michael Cohen pled guilty to two counts of campaign finance violations that are not a crime." They are a crime. This one day Cohen pleaded guilty to eight felony counts, including campaign violations, saying then-candidate Trump, just before the election directed him to pay off a porn star and a former playboy playmate to influence the election. The White House strategy this morning -- paint Cohen as a liar.”
The settlement Obama had to pay in 2013 was a massive fine. Jason Torchinsky, an election lawyer for the Republicans, said: “it may [be] one of their top five- or ten- largest fines.” In fact, the $375,000 fine is larger than the two alleged settlements Trump may have paid to two separate women. CNN is selectively checking facts on Trump in order to further their Cohen narrative against the president.
Read a transcript from the August 22 intro below:
CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow
CNN
8/22/2018
10:00:18 AM ESTPOPPY HARLOW: Top of the hour. Let's get started. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Two of the president's right hand men this morning are felons. But this morning one very clear message from the president, tweeting moments ago, quote, "I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. Justice took a 12-year-old tax case and, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him. And unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to break and make up stories in order to get a deal. Such respect for a brave man." A brave man? Keep in mind the president's former campaign chairman was just convicted on eight counts -- eight felony counts - in his federal fraud trial.
Now compare that to what the president said about his former attorney, Michael Cohen, minutes earlier. The president wrote this morning, quote, "if anyone's looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest you do not retain the counsel of Michael Cohen."
And then the president wrongly claimed this -- quote -- "Michael Cohen pled guilty to two counts of campaign finance violations that are not a crime." They are a crime. This one day after Cohen pleaded guilty to eight felony counts, including campaign violations, saying then-candidate Trump, just before the election directed him to pay off a porn star and a former playboy playmate to influence the election. The White House strategy this morning -- paint Cohen as a liar.
