Kennedy: BuzzFeed ‘Bruised’ the First Amendment

Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said Sunday that the First Amendment had been “bruised” by a BuzzFeed News story which claimed President Donald Trump directed his former attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about the Moscow Trump Tower project.

That claim was later challenged by the special counsel’s office.

Partial transcript as follows:

MARGARET BRENNAN: But back to the question about the report in BuzzFeed regarding whether the president directed his attorney to lie. What do you understand–

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY: Right.

BRENNAN: –the special counsel’s comment on that to mean?

KENNEDY: I- I found that what happened with respect to the BuzzFeed article- it was embarrassing. I think the first amendment was bruised. But, reporters make mistakes. We all do. I was–

BRENNAN: Buzzfeed stands by it.

KENNEDY: I understand BuzzFeed also has to answer to the fact that the Mueller said it’s not true. And- and what surprised me was not that somebody made a mistake, intentional or not, but it was just the- it was astonishing to me that so many folks didn’t stop and say hey you know let’s think about this. Could this be true? Who are the sources? Had these particular reporters had problems before? It was- it was almost as if it was some of the reporting was not reporting, it was wishful thinking and I think that hurts the First Amendment.

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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