‘Amazing coincidence’: CNN’s convenient presence at Roger Stone’s arrest raises questions
As the anti-Trump ‘Resistance’ celebrated the surprise early-morning FBI raid on Roger Stone’s Florida house, some wondered how CNN got there to conveniently get the exclusive footage.
Armed and armored FBI agents rolled onto Trump associate Stone’s front lawn in the early hours of Friday morning to knock on his door and take him away on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s indictment. CNN was already there, cameras trained on the door.
Also on rt.com Mueller probe: Fully armed FBI agents arrest Trump's ex-adviser Roger Stone in pre-dawn raidThe presence of a crew from CNN, whose long-standing feud with Trump is widely known, raised some questions on social media. Some believe the network has the inside track with the FBI or the Mueller team – who aren’t exactly fans of Trump either.
It's really weird that CNN got the video of Roger Stone's arrest considering how tight lipped the investigation has been. So who tipped off CNN?pic.twitter.com/L1rzXIeRPu
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) January 25, 2019
How did CNN get this video exclusively of Stone’s arrest? Did somone at the FBI or Team Mueller tip them off? Just curious.pic.twitter.com/fxdK2Bs6YH
— Harlan Z. Hill (@Harlan) January 25, 2019
#FBI SWAT Team in riot gear bring a #CNN camera crew with them to 72 year old #RogerStone's house at 3am https://t.co/VtoWO7iJY8
— Patrick Henningsen (@21WIRE) January 25, 2019
Others went as far as to claim the arrest was staged for the liberal media.
Lights, Camera, Action!!! #Mueller’s SWAT team takes @CNN along to arrest Roger Stone in a predawn raid. Looked like they were going after El Chapo. If it were anyone else, they would have had his attorney surrender him. https://t.co/jyCQ5kMnLx
— Bernard B. Kerik (@BernardKerik) January 25, 2019
There is no way CNN was not tipped off to Mueller and The FBI raid on Roger Stone. There should be an investigation into this ASAP.
— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) January 25, 2019
Love the pre-dawn raid. Especially the CNN cameras. But we don't have a police state and complicity media.
— Rob Eno (@Robeno) January 25, 2019
The CNN producer at the scene said he was there on a hunch – his “journalistic instinct” kicked in after the network’s “Russia team” detected unusual activity at the Grand Jury on Thursday (as opposed to the usual Friday) and received “other indications” that something involving Stone was about to happen.
You're saying CNN's camera man was just posted there on a hunch? Or did someone call?
— NewsBusters (@newsbusters) January 25, 2019
Seems extremely fishy even after this explanation that CNN would show up with a whole crew of cameras in the middle of the night https://t.co/u5P47toYcU
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) January 25, 2019
Some thought the FBI’s dramatic action – arriving fully-armed in the dark – was disproportionate, and further indication of a staged production.
I’m sure it’s completely normal for 12 heavily armed FBI agents to raid a 66-year-old pundit’s home before dawn, for a political crime. With CNN cameras in tow. https://t.co/9xx0k3O9hm
— Ezra Levant 🍁 (@ezralevant) January 25, 2019
CNN cameras were at the raid of Roger Stone...so FBI obviously tipped off CNN...even if you don’t like Stone, it is curious why Mueller’s office tipped off CNN instead of trying to quietly arrest Stone;quiet arrests are more likely to be safe to the FBI and the person arrested
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) January 25, 2019
A CNN anchor dismissed the concerns, saying it was simply a “well-timed stakeout.”
The power of a well-timed stakeout. (Stone knew this day was coming, and so did news organizations...) https://t.co/JTA0ujA0hH
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 25, 2019
Stone’s Thursday indictment was unsealed when he was arrested. He is being accused of seven counts, including witness tampering, false statements, and obstruction of proceedings, in connection with his alleged links to WikiLeaks’ publication of hacked Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails during Trump’s presidential run.
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