All three networks on Thursday hyped the “escalating” fight over a “controversial,” “bombshell” congressional memo set to be released alleging surveillance abuses against the Trump 2016 campaign. ABC’s Good Morning America touted Democratic “outrage.” At the same time this story developed, ABC and NBC ignored what should be big news: The revelation that the FBI in fall of 2016 waited a month before telling Congress of additional Hillary Clinton e-mails.
On Good Morning America, reporter Cecilia Vega trumpeted, “While some Republicans say the memo casts a shadow over the integrity of the Russia investigation, Democrats are outraged.” She then featured Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley deriding, “This is the President of the United States acting to defend himself legally and politically at the expense of our national security.”
Over on CBS This Morning, Major Garrett fretted: “House Republicans drafted this memo by themselves, altering the long standing, bipartisan tradition of the Intelligence Committee. No one here or on Capitol Hill will say if this White House participated in any way in drafting of the memo.”
Yet, CBS offered a more balanced report than the other two networks. After co-host John Dickerson noted that “Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff asked Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes to withdraw [the memo],” co-host Gayle King responded that “Republicans call [that] a bizarre distraction.”
On NBC’s Today, reporter Kristen Welker asserted that Trump is “in an all out showdown with the FBI.” She added, “Democrats are also crying foul. They're trying to block its release.” Welker added:
“But all signs suggest the President's mind may be made up. This morning, building towards a potential bombshell. That controversial Republican memo will likely be released as early as today.”
In contrast, only CBS This Morning covered another bombshell story, first reported in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal:
Top FBI officials were aware for at least a month before alerting Congress that emails potentially related to an investigation of Hillary Clinton had emerged during a key stretch of the 2016 presidential campaign, according to text messages reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe had learned about the thousands of emails by Sept. 28, 2016, and Director James Comey informed Congress about them on Oct. 28, 11 days before the presidential election, the messages show.
During the 30 day delay, the 2016 vice presidential debate occurred (October 4), the second and third presidential debates (October 9 and October 19). Certainly, the e-mails would have come up, had the subject been public.
In a 42 second brief, co-host Dickerson summarized: “A former FBI official tells CBS News that agents complained that the bureau's leaders were slow to move on the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation.” He added: “CBS News confirms agent Peter Strzok is involved in that. Strzok is under investigation for sending anti-Trump e-mails while running the Clinton e-mail probe.”
Despite a combined six hours of morning show air time, ABC and NBC couldn’t be bothered to cover this latest story on Clinton's e-mails.
Click “expand” below to read the CBS This Morning brief on the Clinton e-mails. Also below is the Good Morning America report on releasing the memo:
CBS This Morning
2/1/18
7:06:35 to 7:07:17
42 seconds
JOHN DICKERSON: A former FBI official tells CBS news that agents complained that the bureau's leaders were slow to move on the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation. The former employee spoke after a Wall Street Journal report that retiring deputy director Andrew McCabe and other FBI officials waited at least a month before telling Congress about the newly discovered Clinton e-mails. Then-Director James Comey announced he was reopening the investigation in a letter sent 11 days before the presidential election. CBS News confirms agent Peter Strzok is involved in that. Strzok is under investigation for sending anti-Trump e-mails while running the Clinton e-mail probe.
Good Morning America
2/1/18
7:01:41-7:05:12amSTEPHANOPOULOS: We’ve also got a lot of other news to get to starting with that high stakes battle over the classified Republican memo that criticizes the FBI and the justice department over the Russia investigation. President Trump wants it released to the public. The FBI has questions about its accuracy and the compromising of classified information. Our Senior White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega has all the latest on the showdown. Good morning, Cecilia.
CECILIA VEGA: George, good morning to you. That memo this morning is right here at the White House and despite that warning from the FBI, sources here tell us the president is still expected to release it. As soon as today President Trump's showdown with his own FBI director could come to a head if he releases that controversial classified memo accusing the Justice Department of political bias. The microphones catching the president's pledge to a Republican congressman.
GOP CONGRESSMAN: Just release the memo.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Oh, yeah, don't worry, 100%.
VEGA: And Chief of Staff John Kelly promising the same.
JOHN KELLY: It'll be released here pretty quick I think and the whole world can see it.
VEGA: In an extraordinary public clash with the White House, the FBI warned against releasing that memo saying officials only had a limited chance to review it and, quote, “we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy.” Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee wrote the four-page memo and sources tell ABC news it alleges the Justice Department acted inappropriately when it obtained a surveillance warrant to spy on a Trump campaign adviser suspected of being a Russian agent. While some Republicans say the memo casts a shadow over the integrity of the Russia investigation, Democrats are outraged.
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY: This is the President of the United States acting to defend himself legally and politically at the expense of our national security.
