Mollie Hemingway calls out mainstream media for downplaying ex-FBI lawyer's guilty plea in Durham probe
'They were some of the worst offenders in perpetuating this collusion hoax on the American people'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The media is downplaying the news that a former FBI lawyer will plead guilty as part of the Durham probe because they don't want to be held accountable for their role in the Russia investigation, The Federalist senior editor Mollie Hemingway told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Friday.
"The media are kind of downplaying it and acting like it's not a big deal. And that's understandable because they were implicated in this as well," said Hemingway, a Fox News contributor. "In fact, they were some of the worst offenders in perpetuating this collusion hoax on the American people. The last thing they want is for anyone to be held accountable. They're trying to make sure this story goes away as quickly as possible."
TRUMP SUGGESTS CLINESMITH GUILTY PLEA 'JUST THE BEGINNING' OF DURHAM PROBE FALLOUT
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith will plead guilty to making a false statement in the first criminal case arising from U.S. Attorney John Durham's review of the investigation into links between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign, two sources close to the matter told Fox News.
"This is the beginning of the possibility that people will be held accountable for the conspiracy to target the Trump campaign through an illegal campaign to spy on Trump, on the Trump campaign and the Trump administration, to criminally leak about them, to doctor evidence," Hemingway said.
Clinesmith was referred for potential prosecution by the Justice Department's inspector general's office, which conducted its own review of the Russia investigation.
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Specifically, the inspector general accused Clinesmith, though not by name, of altering an email about former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page to say that he was "not a source" for another government agency. Page has said he was a source for the CIA. The DOJ relied on that assertion as it submitted a third and final renewal application in 2017 to eavesdrop on Page under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
"This should never happen to anyone. And, you know, everyone's pointing out that ... today we're talking about this one guy who actually doctored evidence," Hemingway said. "But in that court document today, it also showed that the FBI actually knew the entire time that Carter Page was an operational contact of the CIA. They withheld that in all of their spy warrants. And that is a really big problem."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Brooke Singman and Bill Mears contributed to this report.