CNN's Lewandowski Tries To Smear A Journalist Who Reported On Trump’s International Business Ties

Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s Former Campaign Manager, Is A Paid CNN Commentator Who Is Still Advising And Receiving Payments From Trump

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

CNN political commentator and former Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski lied about Newsweek’s Kurt Eichenwald, claiming the reporter, who authored a report explaining how Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s business ties would cause a “national security nightmare,” has “said that he has information that George W. Bush was directly related to the 9/11 terrorist attack.” CNN host Alisyn Camerota corrected Lewandowski, noting that Eichenwald actually “said that George Bush ignored warnings before 9/11” and not that the former president was involved in the attacks.

Trump, however, does have ties to a 9/11 truther. Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist radio host and Trump sycophant, has been called outrepeatedly for spreading conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks. Jones has also spread conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook massacre and the Oklahoma City bombing. Jones says he has “personally talked” to Trump and has commented that “it is surreal to talk about issues here on air and then word-for-word hear Trump say it two days later.” From the September 14 edition of CNN’s New Day:

ALISYN CAMEROTA (CO-HOST): Corey, One of the things that Christine is referring to is this Newsweek investigative piece about all the entanglements -- the foreign entanglements with countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Russia, Ukraine -- that the Trump Organization and [Trump] Foundation are entangled with. If Donald Trump becomes president, would he and his family step away from the Trump Organization that they have built because of those entanglements?

COREY LEWANDOWSKI: Look, absolutely not. Look, Mr. Trump has said --

CHRISTINE QUINN: Absolutely not? 

LEWANDOWSKI: He said his children are going to run his business, and that's been very clear from day one. 

CAMEROTA: Even though it would be compromised if he’s the president?

LEWANDOWSKI: No, hold on, let’s just talk about the author of the Newsweek piece. This is the same individual who said that he has information that George W. Bush was directly related to the 9/11 terrorist attack. This is the same individual who refused to fact-check this story with the Trump Organization --  

CAMEROTA: So you deny this whole -- so you dismiss what he's found in terms of the connection between the Trump Organization and all of these foreign entanglements?

LEWANDOWSKI: Look, if this author of Newsweek has direct information that George W. Bush was directly related to 9/11, produce that information.

QUINN: But what about this story?

LEWANDOWSKI: That's what he has claimed. He has zero credibility. No, it is a point of credibility. He has said that George W. Bush was directly involved with 9/11.

[CROSSTALK]

LEWANDOWSKI: He has zero credibility. No, no. It is a point of credibility.

[...]

QUINN: We don't actually know all of the business entanglements. We don't know how to judge what's there or not. I can't tell you the comparison of the facts that are public about the Newsweek story because not all the business dealings have been made public. He’s not transparent.

CAMEROTA: But very quickly, I just want to clarify something. Kurt Eichenwald, I'm being told by my producers, said that George Bush ignored warnings before 9/11.

QUINN: That's a fact.

CAMEROTA: Not that he was involved, that he ignored warnings.

Related:

Tell CNN: Cut Ties With Corey Lewandowski

Previously:

Newsweek's Kurt Eichenwald Explains How Trump’s Business Entanglements Would Cause A “National Security Nightmare”

CNN's Lewandowski Reportedly Getting More Involved With Trump Campaign

CNN's Calamity Worsens: Lewandowski Reportedly Prepping Trump For Debates

CNN's Corey Lewandowski Flat-Out Lies About Trump's History Of Using Undocumented Workers