All of America was wondering exactly how CNN happened to know the FBI was going to raid the South Florida home of Trump associate Roger Stone under the cover of darkness early Friday, as the network captured exclusive footage of agents in riot gear storming the home.
Well, the CNN producer who got the scoop of a lifetime offered his explanation for knowing about the raid and it’s quite a doozy.
According to David Shortell, it was a gut feeling, or, as he called it, “reporter’s instinct,” that prompted him to camp out in front of Stone’s Fort Lauderdale home Friday morning.
So there he was, in the pre-dawn hours, camera at the ready, when heavily armed FBI agents arrived in force.
Shortell told CNN anchors John Berman and Alisyn Camerota he noticed “unusual grand jury activity” in Washington on Thursday and his instinct told him to go to Stone’s residence.
“The whole Russia team thought, maybe something was happening,” Shortell said. “There was unusual grand jury activity in Washington, D.C. yesterday. Robert Mueller’s grand jury typically meets on Friday, yesterday, a Thursday, there was grand jury activity.”
“We also had some other signs that maybe something was going on this angle, the Roger Stone angle,” he continued. “So we showed up at his house this morning — we were the only ones there, and lo and behold the FBI agents did come and arrest him.”
That’s his story and he’s sticking to it — at least Shortell didn’t tell it with a straight face, as the producer was smiling throughout like he’d just won the lottery.
As for a possible leak tipping off CNN, the liberal media was quick to run interference for special counsel Robert Mueller, who indicted Stone, saying leaks from his investigation have been few and far between.
However, the FBI carried out the raid and anti-Trump sentiment at the bureau is legendary, and the FBI leaked like a sieve under fired director James Comey, who admitted to leaking himself.
There was plenty of speculation online over how CNN happened to be there, none that included instinct.
Fox News’ Laura Ingraham was quick to note the over-the-top theatrics of the early morning raid, to include CNN’s windfall, scream “political motives.”
The @FBI arrest of Roger Stone at dawn, with dozens of helmeted agents, brandishing weapons, was totally unnecessary. Treated him like El Chapo. Political motives clear w/ @CNN tip-off.
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) January 25, 2019
The Daily Caller’s Benny Johnson pointed to Stone’s age and history of cooperation to ask why a “Bin Laden raid” was necessary.
Roger Stone is a 66 yrs old
He has never threatened to flee or resist law enforcement
He has no history of violence
Stone has always gone willingly into interviews with authorities
So why did the FBI use tactical gear & assault rifles like the Bin Laden raid to bring him in? pic.twitter.com/9exmx8B6mB
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) January 25, 2019
Newsmax host John Cardillo lives in Ft. Lauderdale where the raid occurred and said CNN’s excuse seems highly suspicious:
I live in Ft. Lauderdale and have been on the phone with reporters all morning.
None. Not one, except for a remote CNN crew, knew about Roger Stone’s arrest.
That’s not gut instinct. I’d bet my last dollar they were tipped off.
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) January 25, 2019
Nope Buck. CNN’s closest bureau is 25 miles away in Miami.
Local news that camps out at that courthouse daily, which is two miles from my house, had no idea.
I do not believe that CNN simply had gut instincts no other outlet had. https://t.co/6eTWZ3Mmjd
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) January 25, 2019
Parkland student activist Kyle Kashuv put it bluntly and spoke for many he said, ‘something doesn’t smell right’:
https://twitter.com/KyleKashuv/status/1088845071477366784
President Trump agrees…
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1088832908494888961
Stay tuned!
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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