Podcaster Keith Olbermann recently criticized CNN host Jake Tapper for admitting that the Durham Report was “devastating” to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“It isn’t. Not even close. No charges, just partisan ‘conclusions.’ And Tapper of the new non-journalistic Chris Licht CNN is propagandizing,” Olbermann wrote, name-checking Licht, the CEO of CNN.
Licht has also received criticism for greenlighting CNN’s recent town hall with former President Donald Trump. Olbermann referenced the town hall when he called Tapper’s remarks on the Durham Report CNN’s “new scandal.”
“Jake Tapper needs to resign,” Olbermann wrote in a viral tweet that has received over 440,000 views.
CNN's new scandal:@jaketapper says the Durham Report is "devastating to the FBI"
It isn't. Not even close. No charges, just partisan "conclusions." And Tapper of the new non-journalistic Chris Licht CNN is propagandizing
Jake Tapper needs to resign pic.twitter.com/EcJo6qwfA3
— Keith Olbermann↙️ (@KeithOlbermann) May 15, 2023
Investigative reporter Matt Taibbi responded to Olbermann’s comments, saying that Tapper was right in his reporting of the Durham Report.
“Keith, @JakeTapper is right. And the report isn’t just devastating to the FBI, it’s devastating to media figures who ran bogus stories that were either leaked by the Bureau, or laundered through it,” Taibbi said.
Keith, @JakeTapper is right. And the report isn't just devastating to the FBI, it's devastating to media figures who ran bogus stories that were either leaked by the Bureau, or laundered through it. Like, for instance, these: https://t.co/awXlJiXWXE pic.twitter.com/kZAFt0jSiN
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) May 17, 2023
Taibbi also cited several instances where Olbermann previously spread unverified political remarks on his show, “The Resistance with Keith Olbermann.”
The Durham Report found that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI “failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law” when it launched an investigation into the alleged ties between Trump and Russia’s government during the 2016 presidential election.
The allegations against Trump of colluding with the Russian government lasted for years during Trump’s first term in office, but the Durham Report concluded that the allegations were based on unverified evidence.
The report’s conclusion was praised by Trump, who told Fox News that former FBI Director James Comey and Democrats must be held accountable for the “long-running and treasonous charade.”
“I, and much more importantly, then American public have been victims of this long-running and treasonous charade started by the Democrats — started by Comey,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “There must be a heavy price to pay for putting our country through this.”
In 2017, Tapper reported on Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia, covering the “confirmation” of the Steele dossier, despite not acknowledging that the report was unverified.
