Government-funded NPR blatantly lied about Donald Trump Jr.’s September 2017 Senate testimony in an effort to inflict damage to the President and his son.
On Friday, NPR deceptively edited Don Jr.’s testimony to make it appear his account of the Trump Organization’s plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow were inconsistent with Michael Cohen’s testimony.
NPR purposely conflated two separate endeavors the Trump Organization pursued in their efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. The first effort included negotiations with Russian Real Estate mogul, Aras Agalarov which ended in 2014. The second effort to build a tower in Moscow involved Michael Cohen and businessman Felix Sater – this second effort took place from 2015-2016.
NPR’s fake news write-up before its correction:
Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017 that although there had been negotiations surrounding a prospective Trump Tower in Moscow, they concluded without result ‘at the end’ of 2014.
‘But not in 2015 or 2016?’ Trump Jr. was asked.
‘Certainly not ’16,’ he said. ‘There was never a definitive end to it. It just died of deal fatigue.’
Trump’s account contrasts with the new version of events given by Cohen on Thursday in a guilty plea in federal court. In that new version, Cohen says the discussions with at least one Russian government official and others in Moscow continued through June 2016, well into Trump’s presidential campaign.
The truth is Senate investigators asked Donald Trump Jr. about a series of efforts to build a tower in Moscow going back several years. NPR conflated the two separate efforts which led to their fake news story.
Don Jr. was truthful when Senate investigators asked him about the 2015-2016 plans to build a tower in Moscow:
Q. It’s been reported that in late 2015 or 2016 when now President Trump was running for office the Trump Organization was pursuing a plan to develop a massive Trump Tower in Moscow. Is that accurate?
A. Yes.
Here is the full exchange via The Federalist:
Q. In this same time frame, 2015 or 2016, when Mr. Sater and Mr. Cohen were exploring a possible deal, do you know if anyone else was also exploring a deal simultaneously with the Trump Organization to build in Moscow?
A. I don ‘t believe so .
Q. We’ve discussed the Agalarov family, Emin and his father Aras. Do you know if they were also exploring building a Trump Tower in Moscow?
A. We had looked at it earlier than that, but it sort of faded away I believe at the end of ’14.
Q. But not in 2015 or 2016?
A. Certainly not ’16. There was never a definitive end to it. It just died of deal fatigue.
Five hours later NPR issued a large correction, however, the damage has already been done.
This is how fake news works.
The lie goes around the world several times before there is a correction – and very few people see the correction.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized an answer Donald Trump Jr. gave to Senate investigators in 2017 about the prospective projects his family was negotiating with people in Moscow. https://t.co/3KYMzCX6NE
— NPR (@NPR) November 30, 2018
Conservative media called on NPR to completely retract its trash report.
A former CIA chief of operations retweeting a former NSA lawyer who is touting a fake story about Trump Jr.'s testimony. Hope these analytical failures weren't common in their previous work. pic.twitter.com/cPrCZyAXyK
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) November 30, 2018
No, @NPR, you lied.
You intentionally published a lie to damage @DonaldJTrumpJr.
It’s disgraceful, and why Americans distrust the media. https://t.co/r7P4qL55dY
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) November 30, 2018
This was an outrageous smear of @DonaldJTrumpJr. Should have been retracted with an apology. https://t.co/ZH1kb56evB
— Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) November 30, 2018
Also FWIW this is the kind of correction that should prompt editors to simply take the story down and explain the error, since nothing "newsworthy" remains in light of the correction. pic.twitter.com/qrnVuCuXV8
— John Daniel Davidson (@johnddavidson) November 30, 2018
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