Chuck Ross
Investigative Reporter
May 18, 2020 9:54 PM ET
The FBI relied heavily on media reporting, often based on leaks, to justify taking additional steps in Crossfire Hurricane, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of public records.
FBI officials relied on the so-called news hooks to conduct interviews with Michael Flynn.
A series of news hooks also led to the publication of the now-debunked Steele dossier. The FBI relied on the publication of the dossier itself to provide cover to conduct interviews for Crossfire Hurricane.
And James Comey himself crafted his own news hook to spur the appointment of a special counsel to take over Crossfire Hurricane after he was fired.
A common theme that has emerged from the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation is bureau officials’ use of media reports and leaks to advance aspects of the bureau’s probe of the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia.
In at least five instances, FBI officials capitalized on the so-called news hooks — also called news pegs, in journalistic jargon — as justification to open up new areas of the investigation.
James Comey, Andrew McCabe and Peter Strzok all took advantage of media reports to push the investigation forward. And in one case, Comey orchestrated a leak of his own to spur the appointment of a special counsel.
more
https://dailycaller.com/2020/05/18/fbi-crossfire-hurricane-leaks-donald-trump-russia/
