A Russian national who worked to build ties with the National Rifle Association before the 2016 election was arrested on July 15 and charged with “conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation.” After covering the arrest when it was announced yesterday afternoon and in a short segment late last night, Fox News didn’t mention the arrest at all this morning -- even as CNN and MSNBC ran multiple news segments on the story last night and this morning.
The Washington Post reported that the alleged Russian agent, Maria Butina, “is accused of trying to cultivate relationships with American politicians to establish ‘back channel’ lines of communication and seeking to infiltrate U.S. political groups” including the NRA. In an affidavit filed with the court, the FBI “outlined a two-year alleged effort by Butina to penetrate and influence the U.S. political system for Russia’s benefit by building ties to the American conservative movement.”
In mid-January, McClatchy reported that the FBI is investigating whether Alexander Torshin, a Kremlin-connected Russian banker and alleged money launderer, illegally funneled money through the NRA during the 2016 election to help Donald Trump get elected. The McClatchy story noted that the NRA spent $30 million in Trump’s support, “triple what the group devoted to backing Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race.” (According to Mother Jones, Torshin is likely the unnamed senior government official described in charging documents as Butina’s Russian handler.) In June, McClatchy additionally reported that “several prominent Russians,” including “some in President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle,” had contact with NRA officials during the 2016 election.
Fox News, which is overtly friendly with the NRA and regularly hosts its representatives, has so far devoted minimal coverage to the arrest of the alleged Russian agent. Fox anchor Shepard Smith covered the story when it first broke yesterday, and Fox host Shannon Bream spent a couple of minutes discussing it on her late-night show. This morning, Fox did not even mention Butina or the NRA today until its noon show, Outnumbered, according to SnapStream transcripts, even as CNN and MSNBC have both covered it on multiple shows last night and this morning. CNN covered the Butina story on at least eight separate shows, not including repeats, since yesterday: CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett OutFront, Anderson Cooper 360, Early Start with Christine Romans and Dave Briggs, New Day with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman, CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow, and At This Hour with Kate Bolduan. MSNBC has also covered the story on at least eight different shows since last night: MTP Daily, The Beat with Ari Melber, The Rachel Maddow Show, The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, The 11th Hour with Brian Williams, Morning Joe First Look, MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle, and MSNBC Live with Velshi and Ruhle.
Fox’s light coverage of this story follows a well-established pattern at the network of completely or largely ignoring stories that reflect poorly on Trump, particularly on its flagship morning show, Fox & Friends. It's especially true of stories connected to Russia’s election interference in support of Trump and the special counsel’s probe into that involvement.