In a Wednesday bombshell by The New York Times, which confirmed what many suspected, Democratic Congressman and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (CA) was apparently tipped off to the whistleblower complaint before it was filed. Meanwhile, during their evening newscasts, ABC’s World News Tonight and the CBS Evening News latched onto soundbites of Schiff accusing President Trump of wrongdoing and ignored the accusations against Schiff.
On NBC Nightly News, White House correspondent Peter Alexander was the only broadcast reporter to admit the accusation against Schiff existed. But, it appeared as though, to Alexander, the real story was that the President had “seized” onto the report:
ALEXANDER: Late today, President Trump seizing on a New York Times report that Schiff learned about the outlines of the whistleblower's concerns days before the complaint was filed.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think it’s a scandal that he knew before. I would go a step further. I think he probably helped write it.
“A spokesperson for Schiff firing back: ‘At no point did the committee review or receive the complaint in advance,’” he added in Schiff’s defense, as if the Congressman had never used the media to willfully spread lies and misinformation about Trump in the past.
For their reporting on Schiff, ABC chief White House correspondent Jon Karl highlighted how Schiff told the liberal press that congressional Democrats were “not fooling around” with impeachment. CBS White House correspondent Weijia Jiang noted that “House intelligence committee chairman, Adam Schiff, pushed back on Mr. Trump's attacks,” and aided in his obfuscation of the “favor” from the phone call with the president of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, on the Fox News Channel’s Special Report, anchor Bret Baier recognized the seriousness of the report and led the program with it.
“Breaking tonight, to paraphrase a question from another impeachment drama of decades past. What did House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff know about the now-infamous whistleblower report that is fueling today's impeachment inquiry and when did he know it,” he declared.
Adding: “We learned today Schiff was tipped off about the complaint days before it was filed. President Trump charges that Schiff may have helped write it.”
In the report by Fox News chief Intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge, she noted the Times report was “Confirmation that the whistleblower reached out to the Democrat-controlled House Intelligence Committee, raises new questions about their motivation and potential political bias.”
And it appeared as though the people who worked for Schiff were giving conflicting accounts of what happened (click "expand"):
In a statement to Fox News, Democratic chairman Adam Schiff’s spokesman confirmed, quote, "The whistleblower contacted the committee for guidance on how to report possible wrongdoing within the jurisdiction of the intelligence community."
Schiff’s office deflected Fox’s questions on timing, whether the whistleblower contact occurred days or weeks before the complaint was declassified. Adding, quote, "At no point did the committee review or receive the complaint in advance. Chairman Schiff does not know the identity of the whistleblower and has not met with or spoken with the whistleblower or their counsel.”
This seems to be another win for The Federalist, who noted yesterday that there were serious discrepancies in the timeline of events being put forward by though itching for impeachment.
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The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
NBC Nightly News
October 2, 2019
7:07:16 p.m. Eastern(…)
PETER ALEXANDER: In the complaint, the whistleblower acknowledges, “I was not a direct witness to most of the events described.” But the inspector general, this week, said the anonymous intelligence official did have “direct knowledge of certain alleged conduct.”
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): What the whistleblower has set out that is within our power to this day to confirm, we see confirmed in the call record.
ALEXANDER: And it's the President's recent tweet pressing to “interview and learn everything about the whistleblower” sparking this response from top Democrat at Adam Schiff.
SCHIFF: This is a blatant effort to intimidate witnesses. It’s an incitement to violence.
ALEXANDER: Those Democrats tonight, threatening to subpoena the White House if they don't hand over key documents by Friday and arguing that controversial Ukraine phone call alone is enough to move forward.
SCHIFF: To my Republican colleagues that say there is nothing to see here [transition] if this conduct doesn't rise to the level of the concern the founders have, what conduct does?
ALEXANDER: Late today, President Trump seizing on a New York Times report that Schiff learned about the outlines of the whistleblower's concerns days before the complaint was filed.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think it’s a scandal that he knew before. I would go a step further. I think he probably helped write it.
ALEXANDER: A spokesperson for Schiff firing back: “At no point did the committee review or receive the complaint in advance.”
(…)
Fox News Channel’s Special Report
October 2, 2019
6:00:19 p.m. EasternBRET BAIER: Good evening, welcome to Washington. I'm Bret Baier. Breaking tonight, to paraphrase a question from another impeachment drama of decades past. What did House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff know about the now-infamous whistleblower report that is fueling today's impeachment inquiry and when did he know it?
We learned today Schiff was tipped off about the complaint days before it was filed. President Trump charges that Schiff may have helped write it.
6:01:21 p.m. Eastern
(…)
CATHERINE HERRIDGE: Confirmation that the whistleblower reached out to the Democrat-controlled House Intelligence Committee, raises new questions about their motivation and potential political bias.
[Cuts to video]
In a statement to Fox News, Democratic chairman Adam Schiff’s spokesman confirmed, quote, "The whistleblower contacted the committee for guidance on how to report possible wrongdoing within the jurisdiction of the intelligence community."
Schiff’s office deflected Fox’s questions on timing, whether the whistleblower contact occurred days or weeks before the complaint was declassified. Adding, quote, "At no point did the committee review or receive the complaint in advance. Chairman Schiff does not know the identity of the whistleblower and has not met with or spoken with the whistleblower or their counsel.”
(…)
