Oh no! Mueller says Buzzfeed Report: Not Accurate

troll

It's interesting that they used the phrase "not accurate". They could have said "completely false" but "not accurate" sounds like there are parts of the reporting that *are* accurate. The report said it was backed up by emails and texts. What if it wasn't backed up by that, but by phone calls that Cohen recorded? That would make it "not accurate".

OP is mischaracterizing the statement.

[quote] Peter Carr, spokesperson for Mueller's office, told BuzzFeed that their "description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate."

Link for quote at r3:

Buzzfeed -

So they don't have the documentation that the article says they have. But Cohen (and others ?) did say that Trump told him to lie. Do I have this right?

R3- "description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office"--

They were very specific about saying "this office", meaning the Special Counsel Office. What about the SDNY?

"To be clear: Mueller is not disputing that Cohen says Trump told him to lie. He’s disputing the line about corroborating evidence taken from Trump Org emails, texts, etc. Still a huge deal. But not a total refutation. In fact, Cohen’s 11/30 memo says Trump directed him to lie."@KenDilanianNBC

They're saying Buzzfeed was inaccurate in what was told to Mueller's office, and what documents Mueller has.

That's it.

Of course, the question is why Mueller's office would bother to issue this statement.

The BuzzFeed reporter talking about the story earlier today made it clear he believed his sources, and he's a Pulitzer winning journalist who has been working on Trump-Russia for years. He wouldn't put his entire career on the line like this unless he believed in it.

As someone mentioned, they used the word Not Accurate, not Not True. Hmmmm.......something is going on here.

It is concerning because this seems like a vague, almost nitpicky statement that people like OP are going to falsely spin into "the article was a lie."

Did Trump ever comment on this story today? Something here doesn't add up.

Rick Wilson

I'm totally calm about this.

The Mueller statement talks about the *characterization* being wrong, not the content. This isn't a sweeping "no."

They *declined comment* on the front end and issued a wordsmithed statement.

Breathe.

[quote]Of course, the question is why Mueller's office would bother to issue this statement.

That's the really weird part. They've said nary a peep for two years and now they comment. Ken Dilanian just said on MSNBC that Mueller's office would always say on background that "50% of the stories on our activities are wildly untrue" but they would never point to any specific stories. Why now?

Not good.

Did Trump people set Buzzfeed up? Ronan is saying he didn't fall for it. That there was one strong source there telling him it wasn't true.

Buzfeed just put out a statement that they are going to investigate but they still have confidence in their report.

Buzzfeed standing by their article. Investigations going forward.

Ff OP/troll

UPDATED article at link.

You may be right, R16. We've seen this before.

The focus should be on the wording. The SCO isn't flatly denying the report, they're saying some of the report is the wrong characterization of details. The fact that they waited an entire day probably means they didn't like the push they were getting from Democrats to release a report and/or their findings so that impeachment proceedings could start.

The Senate sent a letter to Mueller this morning DEMANDING that he turn over the evidence that he has pertaining to the issue whether its part of his report or not.

Thats why Mueller issued a statement.

I agree, R20 -- I don't know why any of the CNN and MSNBC "pundits" aren't suggesting this.

"In response to the statement tonight from the Special Counsel's spokesman: We stand by our reporting and the sources who informed it, and we urge the Special Counsel to make clear what he's disputing."---Ben Smith - Buzzfeed Editor in Chief.

Now it's up to Mueller to decide if he's going to clarify what is "not accurate".

oh boy...

Sad.

Is there a link for what r20 said? I can't find any news reports on the Democrats demanding Mueller submit a report today. What am I missing?

A pertinent response by BuzzFeed. This is way too vague, and Mueller's office needs to clarify.

Ugh. What a mess.

r25....they werent demanding he submit a report.....they demanded the evidence that Buzzfeed laid out....Mueller just issued a statement....the description of the evidence is not accurate.....

Junior Mint:

[quote]Donald Trump Jr. reacted to the special counsel's statement denying the BuzzFeed report on Friday night by sharing a series of laughing emojis on Twitter.

[quote]The president's eldest son tweeted in part to argue that "BuzzFeed (RIP) proves what a joke the coverage of the witch hunt has been."

Hey junior mint: if it’s a “witch hunt,” why did it just refute the Buzzfeed characterization?

The fact that the SCO statement is worded. SO. CAREFULLY. could suggest that they felt their reputation for being tight-lipped-no-leaking was at stake. It could be that they just wanted to underscore that the SCO did not leak anything.

The Buzzfeed editor is on CNN right now and he's pretty confident. Even if the SCO doesn't clarify, sooner or later the evidence will come out so it's just a matter of sitting and waiting for it.

[quote]they demanded the evidence that Buzzfeed laid out

You said they sent a letter to Mueller today. There is nothing about that in the news. You completely made that up. Why?

Too many commentators are asking buzzfeed, "well, no one else is corroborating the story.....shouldn't buzzfeed be worried about that...?" So, the fact that no one else can get the same scoop means it's made up? That sounds more like professional jealousy. Woodward and Bernstein and the WP had no other outlets corroborating their big scoop---did that prove Watergate was a fake?

It seems to me that all along Mueller has been about PROCESS. All shall be revealed in it's due and proper time. Perhaps this is what happened in the case with this Buzzfeed Report. Some piece of information (Trump's Obstruction of Justice via Cohen) although perhaps *known* by Mueller and his team, had still not been properly " acquired" or "processed" by the legal formalities that Mueller is required to go through.

Wasn’t Buzzfeed responsible for leaking/releasing the Steele Dossier ?

Maggie H just stuck up for the Buzzfeed reporters. Kind of surprises me.

Yes R34. It was Buzzfeed.

I have to side with Buzzfeed on this one.

If the SCO wanted to put out a statement to somehow hold up the integrity of their office...fine...but they needed to also consider the reputation of Buzzfeed, since they're the ones in hot water now. If the story was a big fat lie, then SAY that in your statement. If parts were true and parts were misinterpreted, then SPELL that out so that there's no room to misread anything.

Because all the SCO has now done is confuse everyone about what is true and what is a lie or "not accurate". If they couldn't dispute the story without going into specifics, then the SCO should have just kept their mouths shut.

Mueller's office hasn't had a leak so far. Why would anyone think they're leaking now to Buzzfeed.

Ben Smith coming on Rachel tonight

This reminds me of when James Comey put his two cents in regarding Hillary.

Maddow has Buzzfeed's Editor in Chief on and he's verifying the story's accuracy and they're standing behind it.

cnn had this story early today about reporter

Actually, what Mueller is doing is confirming everything, but disputing the narrative thats being put out. Example, At Cohens sentencing, one of the things Mueller objected to was the version of events that Cohen was putting forth...that yes, certain things happened, but not how he says they happened in his version....they went on to describe his evasiveness and attempts to not comply.

You beat me to it r43. It's very 'legalese', and I think, partly, to reinforce the idea the Mueller's office hasn't leaked any information. To protect the integrity of the investigation.

"It means SDNY leaked and SCO is big mad"@lonepalmallie

I thought he was just breathing heavily, R39!

Mueller would never do or say anything to undercut his work, so for him to break the silence to state that the story is not accurate, it must be very much not accurate.

It was such beautiful report. Here's hoping it will have the added benefit of being true after all.

He didn't say the story wasn't accurate. First of all, Mueller didn't say anything. His spokesperson released a statement. And that statement didn't say the story was inaccurate, it said the story was not correct in how it characterized evidence that Mueller's team has. That's it.

Basically, BuzzFeed implied that Mueller had certain texts or emails or whatever, and they're saying that's incorrect. That's all we know.

Mueller's report to Congress to be summarized as follows: "Trump and his people are scum and you know it."

Chuck Rosenberg believes the core of the article is correct due Mueller’s report.

Probably, r45. As the evening goes on I'm more inclined to believe that's the real crux of the issue.

I’m old enough to remember when Buzzfeed published the Russia dossier 2 years ago, and MSM refused to report on it initially. Now we know that most of the dossier turned out to be true, and Buzzfeed did a great job in publishing it first.

They’ve done some good reporting on Trump’s Russian ties and have become a reliable and credible source.

OP's comment is not accurate. Mueller's team did not say that the content of the BuzzFeed article was inaccurate. Specific descriptions might not be accurate. Read better reporting, OP, and/or stop being a Trump toll.

So how long until Buzzfeed is gawkerized ?

Remember this gem from the NYT?

“Investigating Donald Trump, F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia”.

I haven’t heard anyone call for Lichtblau and Myers to resign after they clearly fucked up the facts in this story.

Buzzfeed was on the money with the dossier, and I’ll wait and see if they’re right while MSM pushes their snooze buttons again.

OP here. Not Accurate was actually used in the statement from Mueller's office. It is used in every breaking news story on this I see on Twitter. Here's NBC

JUST IN: In rare response, special's counsel office says, “BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate.”

Mueller is just mad because it was out in the public before he wanted. I told you the son of a bitch had information he could indict Trump on. Instead the bastard would rather let our country go completely down the drain, because everything always has to be done his way. New York should let some of their stuff come out for public viewing also.

My interpretation of this is that most people will not be able to discern the difference between the exact, specific details of the facts, and what was reported; however, there are slight variances that bug Mueller, causing him to want to comment.

Mueller doesn't want to be scooped. His report will need maximal impact to do its intended job, the decapitation of a corrupt regime.

Nice try Boris, OP.

Sure, R61, NPR is "Boris".

Is it so inconceivable that Trump told Cohen to lie? People are getting all twisted up over whether the buzzfeed story is true or if parts of it are true and parts of it aren't...

But this is Trump. It's more believable that he told his lawyer to lie than to think buzzfeed got the story wrong.

No surprise.

It's normal for mob bosses to operate with no digital or paper trail. But we know the kids and all his subordinates left a paper trail a thousand miles long.

Perhaps Mueller can indict the kids first, then use them as a negotiating chip with President Spanky.

Of course Trump told Cohen to lie. I’ll bet that Cohen actually volunteered to lie, and Trump simply told him to use a different lie. Maybe that’s the discrepancy? I can’t understand what Mueller is actually trying to communicate with his correction/clarification. He needs an English interpreter.

The thing is, if Buzzfeed's story contradicts what is in Mueller's report, he had to set the record straight (without showing his hand). I just wish it didn't buy corrupt-ass Trump more time.

This comment, and it is not a correction or denial, is really vague and means next to nothing.