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The Big Lies › 2018 › File PF-0059
Retracted

NBC: Feds 'Wiretapped' Michael Cohen; It Was a Call Log

NBC News reported that federal investigators had wiretapped the phones of Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen, including a call with the White House.

First reported May 3, 2018 · NBC News, MSNBC, ABC News
Screenshot of the original report as published
Screenshot of the report as published: nbcnews.com. Tap to open the source.
Who it helped: Democrats

A wiretap implied a far more serious criminal inquiry touching the White House than a call log did.

What was reported

NBC News reported that federal investigators had wiretapped the phones of Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen, including a call with the White House.

What actually happened

Within hours, NBC's lead reporter said on air that officials now described the surveillance as a pen register, which logs call numbers but does not capture conversations. NBC changed the headline, rewrote parts of the story and added an editor's note. ABC News, which said it had matched the report, also corrected.

The proof

NBC's own editor's note and on-air correction stating the monitoring was a pen register, not a wiretap.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

NBC: Feds 'Wiretapped' Michael Cohen; It Was a Call Log — Retracted. NBC's own editor's note and on-air correction stating the monitoring was a pen register, not a wiretap. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/nbc-cohen-wiretap-pen-register/

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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