“Inaccurate and Without Merit” “No Evidence of Wrongdoing” “False and Ill-Informed”
Fox News anchor Bret Baer Wednesday, citing sources who supposedly have “intimate knowledge of the FBI investigations” into the Clinton Foundation, falsely reported an indictment was not only “likely” but implied it would be soon.Â
He was forced to walk back his story in part on Thursday, but the damage was already done.
The Fox News story, once out, exploded online, with the right wing gleefully insisting Clinton would be in handcuffs any day, and stories by right wing hacks coming out asking: “Will Obama Pardon Hillary?”
Donald Trump’s campaign immediately threw together this false, lying, and disgusting ad:
Trump himself of course was just getting started.
“It was reported last night that the FBI is conducting a criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton’s pay-for-play corruption,†Trump told an audience in what for him is the absolutely must-win state of Florida. “The investigation is described as a high priority. It’s far-reaching and has been going on for more than one year. It was reported that an avalanche of information is coming in. The FBI agents say their investigation is likely to yield an indictment.â€
Notice the careful wording – exceptionally careful wording for Trump – that he uses, basically citing word for word the already debunked and walked back Fox News report.
ABC News Thursday evening says Fox News – and Trump – are absolutely wrong, according to “reliable sources” who say Trump’s allegations “are false and ill-informed.”
“ABC News sources, however, indicated those statements — and the Fox News reports they’re based on — are inaccurate and without merit,” ABC News adds.
“In February, FBI agents presented their findings to senior FBI officials and prosecutors in the Justice Department’s public integrity section, sources said,” the ABC News story continues. “But the prosecutors and senior FBI officials agreed that there was no clear evidence of wrongdoing and that a criminal case tied to the Clinton Foundation could not be made, according to the sources.”
“It was not impressive,†one source said of the February presentation. “It was not something that [prosecutors] felt they could authorize additional steps for. They were not impressed with the presentation or the evidence — if you could even call it evidence to that point.â€
“Authorities still believe there is no evidence of wrongdoing, and they do not believe there is a sufficient reason to pursue charges, according to the sources,” the ABC News report concludes.
To repeat:
“inaccurate and without merit”
“no evidence of wrongdoing”
“false and ill-informed”
UPDATE:Â Fox News Chief Political Anchor Retracts, Apologizes for Report Clinton ‘Likely’ to Be Indicted
Â