An interview House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gave CBS News Tuesday morning offered a window into why Americans' trust in the mainstream media recently sunk to "a new low," as Gallup described it.
During her appearance on "CBS This Morning," the Democratic lawmaker slammed President Donald Trump for his allegation that former President Barack Obama ordered wiretapping against him during the presidential campaign.
However, it was Pelosi's false assertion that FBI Director James Comey had "spoken out" publicly against Trump's claim — and the CBS anchors' decision not to correct her — that was most curious.
The discussion came when fill-in host Anthony Mason asked: "Do you think FBI Director James Comey should speak out publicly about this?"
"He did. He has spoken out," Pelosi erroneously stated. "He said that they should retract that statement, as I understand what I’ve seen in the press."
"He has — he’s very courageous — to protect the integrity of the FBI, he has spoken out against it," she continued. "And what’s — I don’t know — the Justice Department seems to be missing in action in ... other aspects of the Justice Department."
But Comey has not, in fact, commented publicly on the matter.
There were reports indicating that the FBI director made internal requests that the Justice Department publicly refute Trump's allegations, and according to a CNN report Monday, unnamed insiders said Comey was "incredulous" over the weekend following the president's tweets about Obama's alleged wiretapping of his phones during the campaign.
From CNN:
The source said Comey was concerned that the allegation would make the FBI look bad, and that concern was part of what prompted the FBI director to have his staff reach out to staff at the Justice Department asking them to knock down the allegation.The source said Comey felt "institutionally he has to push back on this" because the magnitude of the allegations that Comey knows not to be true.
So it may be safe to say Comey is — reportedly — unhappy with Trump's claims, but Pelosi was incorrect to assert he has publicly "spoken out" on the matter, but CBS hosts Mason, Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell let the claim go unchallenged.
(H/T: Mediaite)
