While the liberal media was treating the newly released transcript of President Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the smoking gun they needed to impeach him, the CBS Evening News flashed a shred of honesty on Wednesday and reported that the Justice Department was warning lawmakers of the whistleblower’s anti-Trump “political bias.” Although, CBS’s reporting did have their own political bias problems.
It was a fact completely omitted from the cascade of Trump impeachment coverage found on ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News. “The Dependent of Justice warned the whistleblower's information was ‘secondhand’ and that there are indications, quote, ‘of an arguable political bias on the part of the complainant,’” reported CBS chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes.
But her report could have used some more nuance. According to an exclusive Fox News report from Tuesday night, it wasn’t just the DOJ who found that problem with the Whistleblower, but it was their internal watchdog, inspector general’s office:
A senior Trump administration official told Fox News late Tuesday that the administration will release a document showing the intelligence community inspector general found the whistleblower who leveled an explosive accusation against President Trump concerning his talks with Ukraine had indications of “political bias” in favor of “a rival candidate” of the president.
“But the DNI general counsel said days later that, after consulting with the DOJ, the matter did not meet the legal definition of an ‘urgent concern,’ and was not subject to mandatory disclosure to Congress,” Fox News added.
Despite those facts, Cordes leaned on statements from hypnotic Democrats, who thought this was their chance to get rid of Trump, to pad out her report. “This is how a mafia boss talks. What have you done for us? We've done so much for you,” purported radical Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff (CA) in a soundbite.
And that wasn’t the only over the top declaration Cordes shared:
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): He directed the Ukrainian president to have a follow-up conversation with Giuliani as part of the effort to dig up dirt on Joe Biden. Period. Full stop.
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-TX): He violated the law. He crossed a line. He has to be held accountable.
(…)
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Very well done. Disturbing. Alarming.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): It just heightens our concern, and it also gave us new leads, new witnesses, new materials to follow.
“There was only one message that that president of Ukraine got from that call, and that was, this is what I need. I know what you need,” Schiff proclaimed, despite the fact, President Zelensky said we wasn’t pressured by Trump.
Cordes concluded by touting what the Democrats had planned for Thursday. “Tonight, lawmakers who have looked at the whistleblower's complaint tell us it’s about ten pages long, clearly written, and while part of it is classified, Democrats plan to grill the acting director of national intelligence all about it when he testifies before the House Intelligence Committee in the morning, Norah [O’Donnell].”
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
September 25, 2019
6:35:44 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: We go now to Capitol Hill where members of Congress have been reviewing the whistleblower's complaint and Nancy Cordes has some late-breaking details.
[Cuts to video]
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): This is how a mafia boss talks. What have you done for us? We've done so much for you.
NANCY CORDES: Democrats said the summary of the President's call was even more damning than they expected.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): He directed the Ukrainian president to have a follow-up conversation with Giuliani as part of the effort to dig up dirt on Joe Biden. Period. Full stop.
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-TX): He violated the law. He crossed a line. He has to be held accountable.
CORDES: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats are now discussing whether to expedite impeachment by pursuing a narrow process focused solely on this Ukraine controversy.
The White House says that this call summary proves that there was no quid pro quo, because the withheld military aid never even came up in the conversation.
SCHIFF: There was only one message that that president of Ukraine got from that call, and that was, this is what I need. I know what you need. Like any mafia boss, the President didn't need to say, that's a nice country you have, it would be a shame if something happened to it.
CORDES: A highly anticipated whistleblower's complaint about the call and more was finally delivered to Congress this afternoon.
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Very well done. Disturbing. Alarming.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): It just heightens our concern, and it also gave us new leads, new witnesses, new materials to follow.
CORDES: The Dependent of Justice warned the whistleblower's information was “secondhand” and that there are indications, quote, "of an arguable political bias on the part of the complainant."
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): To impeach any president over a phone call like this would be insane.
CORDES: The President's top allies rushed to his defense.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): It was a dark day for the rule of law that a president is going to be held guilty without any proof.
[Cuts back to live]
CORDES: Tonight lawmakers who have looked at the whistleblower's complaint tell us it’s about ten pages long, clearly written, and while part of it is classified, Democrats plan to grill the acting director of national intelligence all about it when he testifies before the House Intelligence committee in the morning, Norah.
O’DONNELL: Some more details tomorrow on that. From Capitol Hill, Nancy, thank you so much.
