The tables appeared to turn on Tuesday when news broke that the infamous whistleblower behind impeachment was the subject of a different whistleblower complaint. The new complaint suggested the original whistleblower was soliciting and receiving illicit funds via the GoFundMe page set up to pay for legal fees. As would be expected, the same broadcast networks which gave President Trump 96 percent negative coverage, refused to touch the latest revelations about the whistleblower.
While the flagship evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC hyped the start of televised impeachment hearings, Fox News Channel’s Special Report dared to cover the possible illicit activity of the whistleblower.
“The whistleblower at the center of the impeachment inquiry is now the subject of a whistleblower complaint,” reported chief White House correspondent John Roberts. “In a letter to the Intelligence Community Inspector General, a Washington law firm says their client believes the whistleblower is soliciting illicit funds on the internet to pay for legal bills.”
Roberts highlighted the legal argument against the whistleblower and the substantial funds he had amassed:
The complaint says the donations, “clearly constitute gifts to a current intelligence official that may be restricted because of the employee's official position.”
The complaint asks the IG to, “investigate each and every donation to determine if it’s from a prohibited source, or if a foreign citizen or agent of the foreign government made gifts to this intelligence official.” 6,000 people have so far donated some $227,000 to the whistleblower’s GoFundMe campaign.
In addition to ignoring the new legal troubles plaguing the whistleblower, ABC and CBS brushed over and even mischaracterized the memo House Republicans released laying out their argument against impeachment.
“After weeks of mixed messaging, Republicans issued this memo defending the President, who they say withheld the aid not to get dirt on the Bidens but because of Ukraine’s history of pervasive corruption,” reported CBS chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes on Evening News.
During ABC’s World News Tonight, senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce, again, lied about the content of President Trump's phone call with Ukraine’s president. “Republicans intend to focus narrowly on the President's July phone call, saying there was no pressure when Trump asked the Ukrainian president to, quote ‘Do us a favor’ and urged him to investigate the Bidens.”
That claim was debunked long ago. The “favor” Trump asked for involved investigating the alleged location of a DNC server.
Roberts accurately portrayed the GOP’s argument against impeachment:
Republicans laying out their defense of President Trump, insisting the July 25th phone call showed no conditionality or evidence of pressure on Ukrainian president Zielinski. That Ukraine was not aware of military aid being put on hold at the time of the call. And that President Trump both met with Zielinski and gave aid to Ukraine without Zielinski opening an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. The 18-page memo concludes that the evidence gathered does not establish an impeachable offense.
Credit where it’s due because, in her report on NBC Nightly News, chief White House correspondent Hallie Jackson shared the crux of the GOP’s argument. “A strategy memo circulating encourages Republicans to point out the military aid, the President appeared to be trading for political help, ultimately flowed to Ukraine, and that Ukraine's president said President Trump applied no pressure during their July phone call.”
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
Fox News Channel’s Special Report
November 12, 2019
6:05:44 p.m. Eastern(…)
JOHN ROBERTS: On the eve of the first public impeachment hearings in 20 years, Republicans laying out their defense of President Trump, insisting the July 25th phone call showed no conditionality or evidence of pressure on Ukrainian president Zielinski. That Ukraine was not aware of military aid being put on hold at the time of the call. And that President Trump both met with Zielinski and gave aid to Ukraine without Zielinski opening an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. The 18-page memo concludes that the evidence gathered does not establish an impeachable offense.
The whistleblower at the center of the impeachment inquiry is now the subject of a whistleblower complaint.
In a letter to the Intelligence Community Inspector General, a Washington law firm says their client believes the whistleblower is soliciting illicit funds on the internet to pay for legal bills. The complaint says the donations, “clearly constitute gifts to a current intelligence official that may be restricted because of the employee's official position.”
The complaint asks the IG to, “investigate each and every donation to determine if it’s from a prohibited source, or if a foreign citizen or agent of the foreign government made gifts to this intelligence official.” 6,000 people have so far donated some $227,000 to the whistleblower’s GoFundMe campaign.
(…)
