On January 17, BuzzFeed News published a seemingly damning report which alleges that President Donald Trump instructed his former lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to the Congress about plans to build a Trump tower in Moscow.
As detailed by the Inquisitr , the report instantly went viral, prompting calls for impeachment and widespread media coverage. However, in an unprecedented move, less than 24 hours later, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team reached out to BuzzFeed , disputing the story.
The New York Times and the Washington Post subsequently attempted to independently verify the report, seeking explanations for Mueller’s denial. Both outlets failed to confirm BuzzFeed ‘s allegations, with the Washington Post concluding that the special counsel’s office statement “aims to make clear that none of those statements in the story are accurate.”
But not all media organizations embarked on a crusade to verify the veracity of BuzzFeed ‘s claims. Trump-supporting, conservative network Fox News reacted differently.
The host of Fox News Friday show The Five , Greg Gutfeld, dismissed the importance of President Donald Trump potentially committing a federal crime, Raw Story reports.
According to Gutfeld, it “does not matter” whether Trump committed a federal crime or not because Mueller’s investigation is about the alleged Russia collusion.
“It doesn’t matter! Right? It doesn’t matter! It doesn’t matter if the story’s true or not because it was originally about collusion and it’s not even about that anymore!”
As Raw Story points out, whether BuzzFeed ‘s report is accurate or not, Gutfeld’s argument does not hold water. Robert Mueller may be investigating crimes related to the alleged Russia collusion, but the fact that he is pursuing that matter does not mean that President Trump cannot commit a federal crime.
‘It doesn’t matter!’: Fox News host argues it’s fine if Trump committed a federal crime https://t.co/gx2JP4bOlZ
— Raw Story (@RawStory) January 19, 2019
“Of course, if you commit a crime while federal investigators are pursuing a separate matter it certainly still matters that you committed a crime — especially if you’re the president,” the publication observed.
But Gutfeld’s argument seems wrong on another level, according to Raw Story , since the allegations BuzzFeed made actually are about the Russia collusion.
The report states that Trump instructed his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen to make false statements to the United States Congress about his business dealings in Russia during the 2016 presidential election, which means that the story is, in fact, about collusion.
Defending President Donald Trump is nothing new for Fox News . A 2018 Politico study found that Trump and the conservative news channel appear to be stuck in somewhat of a “feedback loop,” with president Trump returning the favor by live-tweeting about the network’s coverage and praising its hosts and pundits.
