Kevin Corke Spreads Fox News’ Pro-Trump Misinformation By Falsely Reporting Collusion is ‘Without Evidence’

Fox News White House reporter Kevin Corke falsely claimed Monday morning that, during an appearance on CBS Face the Nation, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) cited no evidence of collusion in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

This small but insidious bit of misinformation is a terrific example of the symbiotic relationship between the Trump administration and Fox News, which Jane Mayer illustrates so well in her jaw-dropping report in this week’s The New Yorker, as well as a damning indictment on the lack of journalistic integrity.

During a rather pedestrian hit on what Fox News considers to be a news program, the White House reporter followed the parroting of a tweet put out by President Donald Trump, and spoke of Schiff’s appearance in the context of “Democrats are on the offensive.”

Corke explained that the president’s political foes are taking “a posture they’re expected to maintain through the 2020 election from investigation to investigation.” He then added: “If you listened over the weekend you heard California congressman Adam Schiff say as much as he continued to float the theory, without evidence, that there was collusion between the Trump camp and the Russians in 2016.” A short clip from Schiff’s appearance was then played.

At first glance, viewers will hear Corke say that there was no evidence of collusion, but he clearly states that Schiff provided no evidence of his claim. In the 25 second clip of Schiff featured in this segment, Corke is correct. But he omits specific parts of Schiff’s Face the Nation interview in which the congressman presents evidence.

From CBS News’ transcript of the Schiff interview:

MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you have direct evidence of collusion with Russia?

REP. SCHIFF: Well I think there is direct evidence in the e-mails from the Russians through their intermediary offering dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of what is described in writing as the Russian government effort to help elect Donald Trump. They offer that dirt. There is an acceptance of that offer in writing from the president’s son Don Jr. and there is overt acts in furtherance of that. That is the meeting at Trump Tower and all the lies to cover up that meeting at the Trump Tower and apparently lies that the president participated in. That to me is direct evidence but there’s also abundant circumstantial evidence. There is for example evidence of Manafort sharing internal polling data with someone linked to the Russian intelligence services.

“I made this distinction all along and that is while there is abundant evidence of collusion, the issue from a criminal point of view is whether there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt of a criminal conspiracy,” Schiff adds, arguing that we need to wait for Mueller’s report.

So it is clear from the quotes above, Schiff cited multiple examples of evidence, namely Trump’s campaign lies about a Trump Tower Moscow project, his dealings with the Kremlin and meetings between senior Trump campaign officials and a Russian lawyer offering “dirt on Hillary Clinton,” all as examples of evidence that has warranted an investigation.

It’s at this point of any article about collusion allegations in which we give the reader a refresher on the definitions of the words “evidence” and “proof.”

“Proof” is “evidence or argument establishing or helping to establish a fact or the truth of a statement.” “Evidence” is “the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.”  Or in other words, proof is conclusive but evidence isn’t. Evidence is more of a suggestion.

So to be clear, Schiff did offer evidence, circumstantial as it may be. Corke incorrectly stated that he did not. Fox News viewers are left to believe that this is just another example of the “deep state” conspiracy against President Trump. Corke’s role as a news reporter, appearing on a news program, only gives this theory credence.

All of which fuels the fire stoked by Mayer on the question of whether Fox News has crossed the Rubicon from opinion programming to propaganda.

Corke has received unwanted attention for a supposed journalistically sound and unbiased reporter when The Daily Beast’s Andrew Kirrell noted how he had deleted a raft of tweets in support of alt-right conspiracy theories. But Corke’s previous bias is not new to anyone paying attention, nor is Fox News parroting of pro-Trump messaging.

Normally such a throw-away wouldn’t merit attention on Mediaite, but in light of Mayer’s thorough and damning report on past and current Fox News programming ethics (or lack of therein) it’s a very specific example of the insidious misinformation that has led us to record Fox News ratings, revenue and a Trump White House.

Watch above via Fox News.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.