Before coronavirus and before impeachment, Russian collusion was the hottest topic in the media and they never grew weary of hyping it, even as Democrats’ evidence and sourcing fell apart. Everyone remembers how the media salivated over the dubious Steele Dossier that was the basis for the Russia investigation. So it’s laughable that one prominent ABC journalist thinks the media did a careful job reporting on it.
But that’s exactly what George Stephanopoulos argued while appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Wednesday night. Since the newscaster has a Hulu special interviewing Christopher Steele, Meyers broached the subject of the former British spy’s credibility.
“How are we to take Christopher Steele right now based on the fact that obviously there was a very partisan split as far as how he was evaluated at first and now where–how would you hold him as a journalist,” Meyers asked his guest.
Stephanopoulos immediately tried to defend the Clinton-funded dossier even though, five years later, its claims were never corroborated and have been disproven by Special Counsel John Durham's investigation and prosecutions. Yet Stephanopoulos tried to spin it. “I think if you look at the broad outlines, he was basically writing about Russian contacts with Trump and the Trump campaign in 2016. Robert Mueller, you know, sort of verified most of that,” he claimed, before conceding, that yes, there was a lot of other things that were debunked.
Still, Stephanopoulos tried to downplay that:
On the other hand there were some other things in the dossier like the famous pee tape, like the idea that Michael Cohen, who was Trump's lawyer went to Prague to work out some deal with the Russians that there is just zero evidence that has come forward to back that up. And, in fact, Mueller even said that he more or less could disprove the Michael Cohen stuff. So he was wrong on the most sensational things or hasn't been able to verify the most sensational things but in the broad outline, this stuff did happen there were contacts between Russia and the Trump campaign in 2016 and I think that gets lost in some of the coverage of Christopher Steele right now, because on these big things that got so much attention he hasn't been able to prove it.
Shockingly, Meyers called the media out for rushing to report on the unsubstantiated dossier. “And it does seem like some journalists are having to go back and reflect on the fact that maybe they sort of ran to the Steele Dossier a little bit faster,” he began before Stephanopoulos cut him off.
“Did the people really do that? I mean the Steele dossier, it didn't come out during the campaign it came out after the campaign,” the journalist bristled at the criticism.
Meyers pointed out, “Sure, but it did seem like, perhaps, it made good television to talk about this Steele dossier.”
At this point, Stephanopoulos tried to backtrack a little to concede that maybe others took it too far, but not his network.
"Right, and a lot of people did, a lot of people went too far. I think we at ABC were very careful with it. We didn't sensationalize the claims in any way and we didn't report what we couldn't verify but I think some did take it too far," he shrugged, as they moved on.
Really? ABC, along with CBS and NBC spent a whopping 2,634 minutes on Russian collusion based on this dossier.
Notice how the pair refused to own up to the media's partisan agenda and instead chalked it up to journalists just eager for ratings. If that was the case, then why were they completely uninterested in Hunter Biden's laptop?
Lipton sponsors Late Night with Seth Meyers, you can contact them at the Conservatives Fight Back page linked.
Read the transcript:
Late Night With Seth Meyers
12/8/21SETH MEYERS: You have a couple of shows on Hulu right now one is about Christopher Steele. And obviously much has been written about his dossier. How are we to take Christopher Steele right now based on the fact that obviously there was a very partisan split as far as how he was evaluated at first and now where–how would you hold him as a journalist?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: That's a great question and we talked it through with my team for hours and hours both before and after the interview. I think if you look at the broad outlines, he was basically writing about Russian contacts with Trump and the Trump campaign in 2016.
Robert Mueller, you know, sort of verified most of that on the other hand there were some other things in the dossier like the famous pee tape, like the idea that Michael Cohen, who was Trump's lawyer went to Prague to work out some deal with the Russians that there is just zero evidence that has come forward to back that up. And, in fact, Mueller even said that he more or less could disprove the Michael Cohen stuff. So he was wrong on the most sensational things or hasn't been able to verify the most sensational things but in the broad outline, this stuff did happen there were contacts between Russia and the Trump campaign in 2016 and I think that gets lost in some of the coverage of Christopher Steele right now, because on these big things that got so much attention he hasn't been able to prove it.
MEYERS: And it does seem like some journalists are having to go back and reflect on the fact that maybe they sort of ran to the Steele Dossier a little bit faster –
STEPHANOPOULOS: Did the people really do that? I mean the Steele dossier, it didn't come out during the campaign it came out after the campaign.
MEYERS: Sure, but it did seem like, perhaps, it made good television to talk about this Steele dossier.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Right, and a lot of people did, a lot of people went too far. I think we at ABC were very careful with it. We didn't sensationalize the claims in any way and we didn't report what we couldn't verify but I think some did take it too far.
