CNN issues correction on 2017 report claiming Paul Manafort was 'wiretapped' by feds

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CNN had to walk back a report the network made back in September 2017 that claimed former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort had been "wiretapped" by the U.S. government following the release of Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz's report on the origins of the Russia investigation.

According to the DOJ watchdog, the federal investigators leading the Russia probe "did not seek [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] surveillance of Manafort" and later stressed that "we are aware of no information indicating that the Crossfire Hurricane team requested or seriously considered FISA surveillance of Manafort."

But, as pointed out by the Washington Free Beacon, Horowitz's findings contradicted CNN's own reporting and ultimately led to a correction from the 2017 report.

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"On December 9, 2019, the Justice Department Inspector General released a report regarding the opening of the investigation on Russian election interference and Donald Trump's campaign," an "editor's note" began. "In the report, the IG contradicts what CNN was told in 2017, noting that the FBI team overseeing the investigation did not seek FISA surveillance of Paul Manafort."

CNN was forced to correct a 2017 report on Paul Manafort, a former campaign chairman for President Trump. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File, Montage)

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CNN previously reported that Manafort was wiretapped "under secret court orders before and after the election" according to unnamed sources.

"Some of the intelligence collected includes communications that sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign, according to three sources familiar with the investigation. Two of these sources, however, cautioned that the evidence is not conclusive," CNN's now-debunked report continued.