‘May He REST IN PEACE!’ Trump Melts Down About Tightening FBI Probe – But Still Finds Time to Think About Brian Stelter
L: Scott Olson/Getty Images, R: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TIME
Former President Donald Trump melted down over the ever-expanding FBI Espionage Act investigation, but he still took time to spare a thought for CNN’s Brian Stelter.
Trump was suspended either indefinitely or permanently from most major social media platforms over his incitement and encouragement of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, but before then, his weekend tweetstorms were a regular occurrence.
Now, he makes do with his own social media not-tweets, which he boosts via emails to the media. On Friday, Trump sent out a blizzard of posts about the investigation into documents that were seized during a search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort home. That search is part of an investigation of Trump for crimes involving the Espionage Act.
In a series of posts, Trump spewed various familiar falsehoods about the investigation, calling the search of Mar-a-Lago a “break-in,” accusing the FBI of “atrocities,” and promising a “major motion” regarding the search would be coming soon.
But through it all, Trump never stopped thinking about the soon-to-be-former host of CNN’s Reliable Sources, veteran media reporter Brian Stelter.
“Brian Stelter of Fake News CNN got fired because he lied, and lied, and lied – ABOUT ME. May he REST IN PEACE!” Trump wrote, ironically misstating the circumstances of Stelter’s departure from the network.
“CNN will end its Reliable Sources program on Sunday, August 21st. As a result Brian Stelter will leave the company. We appreciate his contributions to the network and wish him well as he embarks on new endeavors,” a CNN spokesperson told Mediaite in a statement this week.
Next, Stelter earned a place of honor beside January 6 Committee Vice-Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, because they have roughly equivalent roles in Trump’s life.
“Trivia question: Who’s got less charisma, Brian Stelter or Liz Cheney. I say Liz Cheney, because Stelter could have gotten more votes than she did the other night in Wyoming – She lost by 40!” Trump wrote.
