Of Course: CNN Ends Uranium Deal Blackout....with 19-Second Footnote

October 19th, 2017 2:41 PM

Miraculously, CNN briefly ended their network-wide blackout on Wednesday afternoon of the massive Russian uranium story with a 19-second recap of President Trump’s comments moments earlier in the Oval Office about The Hill’s investigation.

“The big story is the uranium that was purchased — that was obtained by the Russians during the Obama administration. He says that's one of the big stories — one of the worst stories of the past decade,” CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.

 

 

Blitzer made the reference in summarizing what President Trump told reporters at the White House before, of course, moving onto Puerto Rico, the Niger ambush, and U.S. Attorney interviews among other topics. 

The video of the President’s comments lasted just over 35 minutes before Blitzer took over CNN’s coverage at 1:08 p.m. Eastern: 

Well, that was the last question. The pool of reporters now being escorted out of the Oval Office. Once again, the President spending about a half-an-hour there on camera with the visiting Governor of Puerto Rico Ricardo Rossello. Going through several issues, first and foremost, the crisis in Puerto Rico right now, the effort to get tax reform, tax cuts, another issue on the agenda, health care[.]

He concluded the recap with Russia because, well, this is CNN:

[A]nd finally, you just heard what the President had to say about Russia, that the whole Russia collusion story, once again, he says is a hoax. The big story is the uranium that was purchased — that was obtained by the Russians during the Obama administration. He says that's one of the big stories — one of the worst stories of the past decade.

As my colleague Geoffrey Dickens has repeatedly reported, the “big three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC have remained silent on the story by The Hill’s John Solomon and Alison Spann. NewsBusters intern Chris Reeves also chronicled how, on Thursday, Morning Joe blasted Trump and the masses for even highlighting the story.

CNN’s brief mention of this Clinton/Obama uranium story was sponsored by network advertisers Golden Corral, Liberty Mutual, JoS. A. Bank, and Miller High Life.

Here’s the relevant transcript from CNN’s Wolf on October 19:

CNN’s Wolf
October 19, 2017
1:08 p.m. Eastern

WOLF BLITZER: Well, that was the last question. The pool of reporters now being escorted out of the Oval Office. Once again, the President spending about a half-an-hour there on camera with the visiting Governor of Puerto Rico Ricardo Rossello. Going through several issues, first and foremost, the crisis in Puerto Rico right now, the effort to get tax reform, tax cuts, another issue on the agenda, health care and finally, you just heard what the President had to say about Russia, that the whole Russia collusion story, once again, he says is a hoax. The big story is the uranium that was purchased — that was obtained by the Russians during the Obama administration. He says that's one of the big stories — one of the worst stories of the past decade.