ABC and NBC on Tuesday and Wednesday buried the unraveling story of Peter Strzok and his tainted connection to both the Russia investigation and Hillary Clinton’s e-mail scandal. The rogue FBI agent on Tuesday was escorted out of the organization’s headquarters. But despite a combined seven hours of air time on the two networks, there was zero coverage on the latest.
It was left to CBS to report on the story. The Evening News and This Morning programs offered full reports on Tuesday and Wednesday, totaling 4 minutes and 52 seconds. This Morning co-host Gayle King explained: “Agent Peter Strzok was marched out of the Bureau’s offices on Friday after an Inspector General’s report revealed more anti-Trump text messages that Strzok sent while working on the Hillary Clinton e-mail probe.”
Also on Tuesday, Capitol Hill Republicans grilled Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz. CBS played footage of Representative Jim Jordan repeating some of Strzok’s attacks against Donald Trump:
February and March of 2016, Peter Strzok said Trump is abysmal. Trump’s an idiot. He’ a bleeping idiot. Hillary should win 100 million to zero. It sounds to me like he hates the President.
Total coverage on the June 20 and 21 World News Tonight and Good Morning America, as well as the Nightly News and Today? Zero.
This isn't the first time either. On June 15, ABC’s Good Morning America skipped the rogue FBI agent’s texts in the wake of the IG report. Considering that GMA is co-hosted by former Bill Clinton operative George Stephanopoulos, this isn’t surprising. NBC on June 15 managed to cover Strzok, but made Hillary Clinton the victim.
Strzok is clearly an embarrassment to Democrats and liberals in the media. In one 2016 text, he told his lover, then-FBI agent Lisa Page: “We’ll stop” Trump from winning. Strzok has been invited to testify in front of the House Intelligence Committee. ABC and NBC journalists, if they have any integrity, need to cover this ongoing scandal.
A transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
CBS This Morning
6/20/18
7:12:06 to 7:14:55
2 minutes and 51 secondsGAYLE KING: We have new information this morning about a former investigator for Special Counsel Robert Mueller now being investigated by the FBI. Agent Peter Strzok was marched out of the Bureau’s offices on Friday after an Inspector General’s report revealed more anti-Trump text messages that Strzok sent while working on the Hillary Clinton e-mail probe. Paula Reid is at the FBI headquarters in Washington with more on this story. Paula, good morning.
PAULA REID: Good morning. Strzok's attorney tells me that Strzok will fight to keep his job here at the FBI, even though Republican lawmakers and an independent watchdog have accused him of tainting two of the biggest political investigations in U.S. history.
RUDY GIULIANI: The texts are there. You can read them. You have to be an idiot not to realize they're totally biased.
REID: Late Tuesday night President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani slammed the Justice Department about politically charged text messages between FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page.
GIULIANI: The investigators now need to be investigated if we’re going to see justice here.
REID: On Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Republican lawmakers grilled Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horwitz about the FBI's handling of the email probe.
REP. JIM JORDAN: February and March of 2016, Peter Strzok said Trump's abysmal. Trump’s an idiot. He’ a bleeping idiot. Hillary should win 100 million to zero. It sounds to me like he hates the President.
MICHAEL HOROWITZ (DOJ Inspector General): His text messages would certainly leave that as the implication.
REID: Strzok and Page worked on both the Clinton e-mail case and the investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. They were then assigned to the Special Counsel team but were removed when the texts were discovered. Page has since left the FBI. The Inspector General has recommended Strzok and Page for disciplinary proceedings over their text messages along with three other FBI employees he declines to publicly named. The President also seized on the text messages.
DONALD TRUMP: Let me tell you. We've got some bad people that are doing bad things.
AITAN GOELMAN (Peter Strzok’s attorney): He feels terrible about is.
REID: Strzok's attorney Aitan Goelman said his client is devastated that his own words are being used to undermine the FBI.
GOELMAN: Pete would be the first to admit that it was a mistake to send these texts. He sent them with the expectation they would remain private.
REID: Strzok has agreed to testify before Congress without immunity and without invoking the Fifth Amendment. I asked his lawyer why Mr. Strzok why would agree to such a public and very likely bruising hearing. He told me his client wants a chance to tell his story and does not want to allow Republicans to paint him or his actions unfairly. Norah?
NORAH O’DONNELL: Paula, thanks. A very serious story. But you heard the lawyer say, he thought they were going to remain private. Well, yeah. That's the problem.
KING: It’s 2018 and duh. Once you type it, it’s there even when you hit delete. We know that.
