Matt Whitaker: ‘Deeply Concerning’ How CNN Found Out About Roger Stone Raid 2/8/19
Channel: Live On-Air Politics
Date: 2019-02-08

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker — without citing evidence — suggested that CNN was tipped off to the FBI raid on Roger Stone‘s residence in Florida.

In an exchange with ranking House Judiciary member Doug Collins (R-GA) during Friday morning’s hearing on Capitol Hill, Whitaker addressed CNN’s reporting on the raid.

“It was deeply concerning to me as to how CNN found out about that,” Whitaker said.

Collins followed-up.

“It does seem concerning, given the timing of this reporter’s knowledge and other things, that there seems to have been a gap in that discovery,” Collins said. He added, “It seems to appear this was given pre, or prior knowledge. Not going through the normal channels. Because if it was given through normal channels, every media outlet would have been there. But only one was.”

Whitaker replied, “Mr. Collins, I share your concern that a media outlet was tipped off to Mr. Stone’s either indictment or arrest before that information was made available to the public.”

CNN has maintained that they had no advance knowledge of the Stone raid. They reiterated that stance Friday when the hearing went in recess, with reporter Evan Perez saying in response to Whitaker’s charge, “there’s a bit of a conspiracy theory being hatched.”