Media Coverage of Russiagate Revelations
On Fox News’ “Hannity” this Thursday, Jonathan Turley, a law professor from George Washington University, criticized the legacy media for ignoring new developments regarding Russiagate. He emphasized that they need to acknowledge their part in the narrative’s concealment.
Since the emergence of allegations involving individuals from the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton’s campaign, mainstream media appears to have pivoted its attention to different topics. During the discussion, Hannity inquired about who might be “worried” about the legal fallout from the scandal. Turley remarked, “Well, quite a few people in this city should be anxious tonight, which is promising.” He noted that reactions from the CIA and other sources might lead to more revelations.
Turley elaborated that a significant detail was shared by former CIA Director John Brennan, who explained to President Obama that Clinton intended to fabricate a Russian conspiracy narrative to divert attention from her email scandal.
He mentioned, “Brennan told the President, and soon after, he bypassed the CIA analyst and played a crucial role in endorsing Steele’s claims, which we now see were misleading.” He pointed out the campaign’s deceit toward the media during this time.
On July 18, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard released initial information shedding light on Trump’s contested allegations concerning the 2016 presidential election and purported collusion with Russia.
Gabbard referenced the declassification of documents from Obama-era officials, indicating that both the DNI and the Department of Homeland Security had deemed the information on Russia’s involvement as “unreliable.” This came just weeks prior to the 2016 elections, alongside press releases from the FBI and NSA.
The memo further alleged that after the election, intelligence officials began leaking false information to major media outlets.
Turley remarked that, during the hoax, corporate media heavily pushed the Russiagate narrative and focused on the controversial Steele documents. He claimed the campaign to advance this narrative received substantial backing from government entities and the media.
“It required a concerted effort from all sides—government, campaigns, and media,” Turley said. “Despite what is revealed today, it’s clear many remain unconvincing.”
He added that for many in the media, this issue isn’t just reporting; it’s rather a confession of their own involvement in what might be the most significant political smear operation in history if adequately reported.
A review indicated that outlets like CNN and MSNBC had devoted four times more coverage to Trump’s ties with the late Jeffrey Epstein than to the latest developments in Russiagate. Following Gabbard’s announcement, the network’s mentions of “Russia,” “Gabbard,” and “Obama” totaled 1,848 instances.
