More willful blindness by the media on spying by Obama administration
By Jonathan Turley, opinion contributor — 07/25/20 10:00 AM EDT
The Washington press corps seems engaged in a collective demonstration of the legal concept of willful blindness, or deliberately ignoring facts, following the release of yet another declassified document that directly refutes past statements about the Russia collusion investigation. The document shows the FBI used a security briefing of then candidate Donald Trump and top aides to gather possible evidence for Crossfire Hurricane, its code name for the Russia investigation.
What is astonishing is that the media has steadfastly refused to see what should be one of the biggest stories in decades: an administration’s targeting of an opposing party’s presidential campaign based on false and, in at least case, possibly criminally falsified evidence. The media endlessly covered former Obama administration officials ridiculing Trump’s suggestions of spying on his campaign or that the Russia investigation was improperly conducted. When Attorney General William Barr told the Senate last year that “I think spying did occur,†he was lambasted in the media, including by fired FBI director James Comey and others involved in that investigation. Comey’s mocking response of “wow†received extensive coverage.
The new document shows that, on Aug. 17, 2016, FBI agent Joe Pientka briefed Trump campaign advisers Michael Flynn and Chris Christie on national security issues, a standard practice for presidential campaigns. The briefing included discussion of Russian interference in the election. This, however, was different: The document detailing the questions asked by Trump and his aides and their reactions was filed on Aug. 30, 2016, under Crossfire Hurricane and Crossfire Razor, the FBI investigation of Flynn. Adding to this genuinely “wow†moment were the two FBI officials listed as approving the report: Kevin Clinesmith and Peter Strzok.
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https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/509002-more-willful-blindness-by-the-media-on-spying-by-obama-administration
