Trump baselessly implies CNN was tipped off to Roger Stone's indictment. CNN explains it was just good reporting.

(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images)

published 25 January 2019

President Trump on Friday lashed out at CNN after the indictment of ally Roger Stone, suggesting the network must have been tipped off about his arrest.

In Trump's first tweet responding to Stone's arrest, he called Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference a witch hunt, but he also pointed a finger at CNN. A journalist from the network earlier in the morning had been able to capture footage of Stone being arrested at his Florida home.

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In fact, CNN's David Shortell had reported on air that a crew from the network staked out Stone's home because of "reporter's instinct," with the network having flagged some grand jury activity on Thursday and anticipating a possible indictment for Stone. CNN reporter Shimon Prokupecz had explained on Don Lemon's show the night before that they noticed Mueller was convening a grand jury on a Thursday, which is not typical. "This could give us a big clue that perhaps something is coming," Prokupecz said, adding that the stepson of Jerome Corsi, an associate of Stone's, had just recently testified.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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