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The Big Lies › 2018 › File PF-0062
Unproven

CNN: Cohen Says Trump Knew of Trump Tower Meeting in Advance

CNN reported, citing sources, that Michael Cohen was prepared to tell Mueller that Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians.

Screenshot of the original report as published
Screenshot of the report as published: transcripts.cnn.com (archived copy, Wayback Machine). Tap to open the source.
Who it helped: Democrats

Advance knowledge would have tied Trump personally to the campaign's Russia contact.

What was reported

CNN reported, citing sources, that Michael Cohen was prepared to tell Mueller that Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians.

What actually happened

A month later Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, admitted he had been a source and said Cohen had no information showing Trump knew beforehand; CNN said it stood by its multi-sourced story. CNN's own report had noted Cohen lacked corroborating evidence. The Mueller report found no documentary evidence that Trump was told of the meeting beforehand, though it noted Cohen recalled hearing something of the kind.

The proof

Lanny Davis's on-record walk-back, and the Mueller report's finding of no documentary evidence of Trump's advance knowledge.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

CNN: Cohen Says Trump Knew of Trump Tower Meeting in Advance — Unproven. Lanny Davis's on-record walk-back, and the Mueller report's finding of no documentary evidence of Trump's advance knowledge. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/cnn-cohen-trump-knew-trump-tower-meeting/

Original reporting

Corrections, findings & records

Archived copies

Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.

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