Media

CNN Reporter Falsely Claims Republicans Funded Trump-Russia Dossier [VIDEO]

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CNN justice correspondent Evan Perez falsely told his network’s viewers on Tuesday that anti-Trump Republicans first funded the infamous Trump-Russia dossier, much of which remains unverified.

Perez was responding to a tweet from President Donald Trump, who called the dossier a “pile of garbage.” Perez has close ties to the cofounders of Fusion GPS, the firm behind the dossier, which CNN failed to disclose. (RELATED: CNN’s Undisclosed Ties To Fusion GPS)

“Look, the fact is that the dossier was compiled as part of opposition research, first paid for by Republicans who were opposed to Donald Trump and then later on by Democrats and the Clinton camp, people associated with the Clinton campaign who wanted to try to bring him down,” Perez said.

WATCH:

That “fact” cited by Perez — that anti-Trump Republicans originally funded the dossier — has been ruled “false” by fact-checkers. 

Republican donor Paul Singer initially hired Fusion GPS through the Washington Free Beacon to conduct opposition research on Trump and other candidates during the 2016 Republican primary, but that research was unrelated to the dossier.

CNN has repeatedly misinformed its viewers about the dossier’s origins. (RELATED: 7 Times CNN Botched The News In 2017)

Perez’s error on Tuesday is at least the third time that the network has falsely told its audience that Republicans originally funded the dossier.