Fake News: CNN Analyst Makes Up Conversation Between Republican Senators on Impeachment

Joe Lockhart
Screenshot CNN
Hannah Knudsen

CNN political analyst Joe Lockhart on Wednesday made up a conversation between Republican senators on day two of the Senate impeachment trial, updating his claim roughly ten minutes later and admitting that he made the entire exchange up.

“Overheard convo between two Republican Senators who only watch Fox News. ‘is this stuff real? I haven’t heard any of this before. I thought it was all about a server,'” Lockhard tweeted on Wednesday.

‘”If half the stuff Schiff is saying is true, we’re up shit’s creek. Hope the White House has exculpatory evidence.'” he continued, quoting the alleged conversation.

Approximately nine minutes later, he followed up, admitting that he made up the entire conversation.

“Ok maybe I made up the convo, but you know that’s exactly what they’re thinking,” he added:

However, his original tweet appeared to fool many.

“Dammit. I thought it was real. I bet a lot of people do that don’t read the second part,” one user wrote.

“What kinda bullshit post is this??” another asked.

“You mean you lied,” another added.

Further backlash ensued:

Lockhart said he was “sorry that people thought this was real” in response to a user who wrote, “There should be a sarcasm button.” However, he appeared to double down, adding, “satire and sarcasm do help make these points though”:

The CNN political analyst is hardly the first of Trump’s critics to fabricate the contents of conversations for the sake of political expediency. Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), again, faked the July 2019 conversation between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the Senate impeachment trial on Tuesday.

As Breitbart News detailed:

Schiff, presenting a rebuttal argument in a debate over whether to subpoena acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, claimed that the president had asked Zelensky, “I have a favor to ask, though,” implying that he sought a personal and political favor.

The president’s actual words in the transcript of the call were: “I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot.”

Democrats have consistently tried to erase the word “us,” or replace it with the word “me.” One Democrat legal expert even tried to argue in the House Judiciary Committee that Trump had intended “us” to mean “the royal ‘we’.”

At the opening of the House Intelligence Committee’s public impeachment inquiry hearings last year, Schiff, in his role as chairman, faked virtually the entire dialogue between Trump and Ukraine to create an impression that the U.S. president was bullying and extorting his Ukrainian counterpart.

One of the lines Schiff invented was: “I have a favor I want from you, though.”

Schiff also falsely claimed that Trump withheld a meeting and military aid until Zelensky announced an investigation into the Bidens, which is entirely untrue.

Lockhart has assisted in spreading Schiff’s false narratives, tweeting  on Wednesday, “The use of video of Trump is serving two purposes. First, it’s great evidence of the conspiracy scheme to pressure Ukraine. Second, it reminds us all what a jerk he is”:

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.