On Thursday, NBC’s Today show finally noticed the bombshell development from Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation that Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign spied on Donald Trump, both as a candidate and as president. However, the Democratic Party shills at the network immediately turned to Hillary Clinton and attorneys for her former campaign aid Michael Sussmann – who has been indicted for lying to the FBI – to try to knock down the explosive story.
“Well, now to a story making big waves in Washington. It’s what amounts to unproven claims that Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign paid to spy on Donald Trump,” co-host Savannah Guthrie announced as she introduced NBC’s first coverage of the major story. She added: “Well, this morning, Clinton’s responding.”
Senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson immediately tried to throw cold water on the scandal: “We’re talking about a story that has ripped through conservative media, something Donald Trump calls bigger than Watergate. But what’s in this actual court filing we’re talking about does not back up some of the allegations being made.”
As the taped portion of her report began, Jackson incredulously narrated: “It would be explosive if it were true. The allegation a political opponent spied on a sitting president. And that’s exactly what former President Donald Trump and his allies are claiming.”
Following a soundbite of Republican Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan declaring, “It was worse than we thought because they were spying on the sitting President of the United States,” Jackson quickly turned to Hillary Clinton for a supposed fact-check: “But Hillary Clinton now slamming the whole thing as ‘a fake scandal to distract from Mr. Trump’s real ones. So it’s a day that ends in Y,’ she tweeted.”
Going through some of the key details of Durham’s recent court filing, Jackson explained:
It all started last week when Special Counsel John Durham dropped a new court filing. Remember, Durham’s the guy investigating the origins of the Russia investigation against Mr. Trump. The filing involves a case against a cybersecurity lawyer with ties to the Democratic Party, Michael Sussmann. It says a tech executive gave Sussmann data about communications between computer servers at the White House to Trump-owned buildings in New York and an unnamed health care provider.
The filing describing the executive as exploiting his access to White House data to search for derogatory information on Mr. Trump. Sussmann, the filing says, claimed the data showed Trump associates were using Russian-made cell phones near the White House, an allegation the Special Counsel found no evidence of and says Sussmann turned that info over to the CIA in 2017, according to sources familiar with what happened.
She then lamented: “Some conservatives seizing on all this as proof someone spied on then-President Trump, blasting what they see as a lack of attention to it.” A clip ran of Republican Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson calling out the left-wing press: “The silence by most of the media is very revealing.”
Jackson promptly tried to dismiss such concerns: “But here’s the thing. That computer data only showed that different servers were communicating, not what they were communicating about, according to experts.” The “expert” she turned to was fellow NBC reporter Tom Winter, who has spent time on MSNBC in recent days trying cast the story aside: “In other words, emails couldn’t have read, text messages couldn’t have been read. They couldn’t have even seen the content that was on the screens.”
Unbelievably, Jackson then turned to Sussmann’s attorneys to offer another absurd and phony fact-check: “The court filing doesn’t say when the data collection ended, and that’s important, because Sussmann’s attorneys say the Special Counsel knows it didn’t happen during the Trump administration, but instead when then-President Obama was in office.”
The reporter emphasized: “Also keep in mind the court filing does not allege a crime related to hacking. It also does not say that anybody was illegally spied on.”
Before the nearly three minute segment concluded, Guthrie sought to reiterate the claims from Sussmann’s lawyers – even though they were directly contradicted by Durham: “Just so I understand, so it actually happened during the Obama administration?” Jackson replied: “That’s what Sussmann’s attorneys are saying, yeah.”
In other words, NBC has been assured by Hillary Clinton and the legal team for Michael Sussmann that Hillary Clinton and Michael Sussmann have done nothing wrong. How convenient.
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Here is a full transcript of the 2 minute 55 second report on February 17:
7:11 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Well, now to a story making big waves in Washington. It’s what amounts to unproven claims that Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign paid to spy on Donald Trump. Well, this morning, Clinton’s responding. NBC’s senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson has the story. Hallie, good morning.
HALLIE JACKSON: Hey, Savannah, good morning to you. We’re talking about a story that has ripped through conservative media, something Donald Trump calls bigger than Watergate. But what’s in this actual court filing we’re talking about does not back up some of the allegations being made.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Trump vs. Hillary Over Spying Allegations]
It would be explosive if it were true. The allegation a political opponent spied on a sitting president. And that’s exactly what former President Donald Trump and his allies are claiming.
REP. JIM JORDAN [R-OH]: It was worse than we thought because they were spying on the sitting President of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN [FOX NEWS ANCHOR]: Hillary Clinton’s campaign paid to spy on Donald Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN [GOP CONGRESSMAN]: I liken it to Watergate.
JACKSON: But Hillary Clinton now slamming the whole thing as “a fake scandal to distract from Mr. Trump’s real ones. So it’s a day that ends in Y,” she tweeted.
So what’s the realty check? It all started last week when Special Counsel John Durham dropped a new court filing. Remember, Durham’s the guy investigating the origins of the Russia investigation against Mr. Trump. The filing involves a case against a cybersecurity lawyer with ties to the Democratic Party, Michael Sussmann. It says a tech executive gave Sussmann data about communications between computer servers at the White House to Trump-owned buildings in New York and an unnamed health care provider.
The filing describing the executive as exploiting his access to White House data to search for derogatory information on Mr. Trump. Sussmann, the filing says, claimed the data showed Trump associates were using Russian-made cell phones near the White House, an allegation the Special Counsel found no evidence of and says Sussmann turned that info over to the CIA in 2017, according to sources familiar with what happened.
Some conservatives seizing on all this as proof someone spied on then-President Trump, blasting what they see as a lack of attention to it.
SEN. RON JOHNSON [R-WI]: The silence by most of the media is very revealing.
JACKSON: But here’s the thing. That computer data only showed that different servers were communicating, not what they were communicating about, according to experts.
TOM WINTER: In other words, emails couldn’t have read, text messages couldn’t have been read. They couldn’t have even seen the content that was on the screens.
JACKSON: The court filing doesn’t say when the data collection ended, and that’s important, because Sussmann’s attorneys say the Special Counsel knows it didn’t happen during the Trump administration, but instead when then-President Obama was in office.
Also keep in mind the court filing does not allege a crime related to hacking. It also does not say that anybody was illegally spied on. Savannah?
GUTHRIE: Just so I understand, so it actually happened during the Obama administration?
JACKSON: That’s what Sussmann’s attorneys are saying, yeah.
GUTHRIE: Okay, alright. Hallie, thank you very much.
