CNN Is Silent on Why It Gave Airtime to a Conspiracy Theorist [View all]
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/cnn-conspiracy-theory-803467/
CNN Is Silent on Why It Gave Airtime to a Conspiracy Theorist
The news network let discredited right-wing operative Jerome Corsi peddle misinformation Monday night
By ANDY KROLL
WASHINGTON CNN, the network whose motto is Facts First, gave airtime on Monday evening to the notorious conspiracy theorist, Jerome Corsi, as well as his lawyer.
The eight-minute, primetime interview on Anderson Cooper 360° one of CNNs most-watched programs devolved into an argument between Cooper, Corsi and right-wing lawyer Larry Klayman over the veracity of Barack Obamas birth certificate and whether the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee was an inside job by murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich. (Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian intelligence agents last year for hacking the DNC and stealing thousands of emails and other private documents.)
A spokeswoman for the show did not respond to a detailed list of questions asking why Cooper had invited Corsi and Klayman to appear on his program and whether the network would continue to book the two men in the future. CNNs choice to book Corsi and let him spout unfounded assertions comes as the network faces criticism for hiring a former Republican Party operative and Trump administration spokeswoman to help guide its political coverage.
Hours before the broadcast, Corsi was one of 81 individuals and organizations that received a request for documents from the House Judiciary Committee as part of its ramped-up investigation of President Trump, his administration and his business.