CNN’s Jim Acosta contradicted his own reporting on FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe Monday, apparently without even realizing he was doing so.
A number of news outlets reported on Monday that McCabe was leaving his post as deputy director, a few months before he was originally expected to resign.
Acosta originally reported on Twitter that McCabe had left the position voluntarily because he was fed up with dealing with the Trump administration.
“Source familiar with McCabe matter describes his departure as a ‘mutual’ decision,” Acosta tweeted. “He was tired of being ‘undermined’ but Trump and WH was ‘not happy’ with him.”
Source familiar with McCabe matter describes his departure as a “mutual” decision. He was tired of being “undermined” but Trump and WH was “not happy” with him.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 29, 2018
The senior White House correspondent tweeted again about 30 minutes later, insisting that McCabe was actually being “pushed out” of the position. Acosta claimed that the second tweet was just additional reporting, rather than actually a correction on his claim that McCabe left the FBI on his own.
“More…Source telling us FBI Director Wray told McCabe he was bringing on a new team and that he was not part of it. Writing was on the all [sic],” he wrote. “All points to McCabe essentially being pushed out.”
More… Source telling us FBI Director Wray told McCabe he was bringing on a new team and that he was not part of it. Writing was on the all. All points to McCabe essentially being pushed out. https://t.co/6gET0Y7dOH
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 29, 2018
What Acosta apparently didn’t realize is that 1. McCabe leaving the FBI voluntarily and 2. McCabe being “pushed out” are mutually exclusive events, and one of his tweets is in dire need of a correction.