On the Friday broadcast network evening newscasts, ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News played the role of faithful PR representatives for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), giving legitimacy and life to a DNC lawsuit seeking to somehow avenge their 2016 election losses and lay blame on, among others, the Russian government.
In contrast, the CBS Evening News appeared to be going along the same path, but their coverage showed skepticism and even acknowledged Democratic concerns about its necessity.
ABC anchor David Muir led into congressional correspondent Mary Bruce’s piece by boasting of “a new line of attack” by Democrats “to hold Russia and others accountable for meddling in the election” with “[t]heir own lawsuit now claiming the conspiracy, the Russians, the Wikileaks and the Trump campaign that they say all conspired to hurt their party and their candidate Hillary Clinton.”
Bruce also was on board with the lawsuit, hyping that the DNC “is launching its own legal attack against the President” even though it only “pieces together previously known reports ranging from contacts between close associates of the Trump campaign and Russian officials, to Wikileaks’ hack of the DNC's emails and their leak of damaging information.”
She later concluded the report by briefly citing a Trump campaign statement and Trump tweet plus the reality that “Democrats are clearly eager to have their day in court” even though it might take awhile with Trump officials tied up in the Mueller probe.
NBC Nightly News spent only 27 seconds on the lawsuit, but anchor Lester Holt did little beyond reiterate the bullet points of the DNC’s lawsuit while being accompanied by the headline “Collusion Lawsuit.”
CBS was far more intriguing. Anchor Jeff Glor seemed skeptical, possessing a hint of snark emblematic of predecessor Scott Pelley, telling viewers that “Democrats are hoping to refight the 2016 presidential election in a courtroom” with “a one-size-fits-all lawsuit against a string of defendants accused of conspiring to fix the election.”
Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes gave the basics about who’s named in the lawsuit (Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, and Russia), she ran favorable soundbites of Perez speaking to her about the need to get “justice.”
Telling Perez that “[y]our critics say this is just a stunt to try to raise money,” Perez replied: “Protecting democracy is not a publicity stunt. We had employees, Nancy, whose lives were threatened. If you threaten one of my colleagues, current or former, yeah, I'm going to fight back. I'm going to fight like heck.”
During a liveshot with Cordes, Glor seemed exasperated: “Um, Nancy, the election was a year and a half ago. Why is the DNC doing this now?”
Doing what ABC and NBC wouldn’t do, Cordes highlighted conerns about the lawsuit from the left (which has been panned by legal experts on cable news throughout the day as having zero chance of proceeding):
Well, Jeff, they say the evidence has been piling up, and Russia has yet to pay much of a price for its election but some Democrats don't think that this is a great idea or great timing. They worry that it's only going to further politicize the criminal investigation being conducted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
To see the relevant network newscast transcripts, click “expand”
ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir
April 20, 2018
6:40 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Major Election Lawsuit]
DAVID MUIR: Meantime tonight, the Democratic Party now with a new line of attack to hold Russia and others accountable for meddling in the election. Their own lawsuit now claiming the conspiracy, the Russians, the Wikileaks and the Trump campaign that they say all conspired to hurt their party and their candidate Hillary Clinton. Well, tonight, the President’s team already firing back and here's ABC’s Mary Bruce.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Major Election Lawsuit; DNC Sues Trump Campaign, Russia, WikiLeaks]
MARY BRUCE: The Democratic Party tonight is launching its own legal attack against the President, alleging that Russia, the Trump campaign, and Wikileaks conspired to damage Hillary Clinton and tilt the presidential election to Donald Trump.
DONALD TRUMP [on 10/10/16]: Wikileaks, I love Wikileaks.
BRUCE: Calling it “[a]n act of unprecedented treachery,” the DNC lawsuit pieces together previously known reports ranging from contacts between close associates of the Trump campaign and Russian officials, to Wikileaks’ hack of the DNC's emails and their leak of damaging information.
TRUMP [on 10/13/16]: It's been amazing what's coming out on Wikileaks. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 10/31/16] Another one came in today. This Wikileaks it's like a treasure trove.
BRUCE: The multi-million dollar suit does not name President Trump, but it does go after his inner circle, including his son and son-in-law. If the case moves forward, the President and his top aides could be forced to answer questions under oath.
MUIR: So let's get to Mary Bruce. She’s live in Washington tonight and Mary, the Trump campaign and now the President responding just moments ago.
BRUCE: David, the Trump campaign tonight is calling this “a sham lawsuit” and the President just tweeting saying “[t]his can be good news in that we will now counter.” Democrats are clearly eager to have their day in court here, but many of these Trump aides are already tied up in the special counsel's probe, meaning any depositions could be a ways away. David?
MUIR: Mary Bruce, live tonight. Mary, thank you.
NBC Nightly News
April 20, 2018
7:10 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Collusion Lawsuit]
LESTER HOLT: Meantime, Democrats are taking their allegations of Trump campaign collusion with Russia to federal court. The Democratic National Committee has filed a lawsuit alleging a vast conspiracy to undermine the 2016 election. Among those named, the Russian government, the Trump campaign, Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, along with Wikileaks and its founder Julian Assange, over those hacked DNC e-mails. The Trump campaign responded by calling the lawsuit “frivolous.”
CBS Evening News with Jeff Glor
April 20, 2018
6:30 p.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: DNC Suit]
JEFF GLOR: Also tonight, Democrats file suit against the Trump campaign, Wikileaks, and Russia for allegedly conspiring to steal the 2016 election.
(....)
6:36 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Election Lawsuit]
GLOR: Democrats are hoping to refight the 2016 presidential election in a courtroom. They have filed a one-size-fits-all lawsuit against a string of defendants accused of conspiring to fix the election. Here's Nancy Cordes.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Democrats Sue Russia, Trump Campaign & WikiLeaks
NANCY CORDES: The defendants are a who's who of the Trump campaign: Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner, along with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, and the Russian Federation itself. All are accused by the Democratic National Committee of previously unimaginable treachery. DNC Chairman Tom Perez:
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Democrats’ Lawsuit Alleges Trump-Russia Conspiracy]
TOM PEREZ: We're seeking justice, and we're seeking deterrence.
CORDES: His 66-page suit accuses Russian hackers of stealing “tens of thousands of documents and emails” from the DNC. It outlines all the known contacts between Russians and the Trump campaign. In April of 2016, for instance, Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos “met with a Kremlin-tied agent,” who told him about the DNC breach just four days after it happened. The embarrassing e-mail leak rocked the Democratic convention.
OHIO DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN MARCIA FUDGE [on 07/25/16]: I'm going to be respectful of you and I want you to be respectful of me.
CORDES: The Trump campaign dismissed the lawsuit today as “frivolous, a last-ditch effort to substantiate the baseless Russian collusion allegations by a nearly-bankrupt Democratic Party.” [TO PEREZ] You critics say this is just a stunt to try to raise money.
PEREZ: Protecting democracy is not a publicity stunt. We had employees, Nancy, whose lives were threatened. If you threaten one of my colleagues, current or former, yeah, I'm going to fight back. I'm going to fight like heck.
GLOR: Nancy is on Capitol Hill tonight. Um, Nancy, the election was a year and a half ago. Why is the DNC doing this now?
CORDES: Well, Jeff, they say the evidence has been piling up, and Russia has yet to pay much of a price for its election but some Democrats don't think that this is a great idea or great timing. They worry that it's only going to further politicize the criminal investigation being conducted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
GLOR: Nancy Cordes, thank you very much.
