Lester Holt's 'NBC Nightly News' fails to mention inspector general hearing
“NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt failed to mention a major story in his broadcast, skipping over the news on Inspector General Michael Horowitz being grilled by House Judiciary and Oversight Committees.
The House Judiciary and Oversight committees questioned Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz over his bombshell report into FBI and DOJ misconduct during the Hillary Clinton email probe this week – but viewers who rely on NBC’s embattled “Nightly News” would have no idea.
NBC’s Lester Holt skipped the Horowitz hearing during Monday's broadcast, the only anchor to ignore the news.
Things were no different on Tuesday, when Holt began his newscast with a lengthy feature on President Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy unfolding on the Southern border that included reporter Gabe Gutierrez speaking with migrant families.
After several other immigration segments, Holt shifted to weather before a story on proposed tariffs with China. Since June 13, NBC’s “Nightly News” and “Today” have spent 102 minutes on immigration, according to the Media Research Center.
Tuesday’s edition of “Nightly News” also featured segments about some credit card companies ditching perks, NBA player Sterling Brown taking action against the city of Milwaukee over a stun-gun arrest, a poll tracking cigarette smokers in America and a mail-order prescription service. Holt’s newscast wrapped things up with a fluffy look at elaborate sand sculptures.
NBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The news NBC skipped included the FBI potentially changing key witness reports in the Clinton and Russia investigations. Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., raised the possibility that the FBI misled the DOJ watchdog in an attempt to hide the identities of FBI employees who were caught sending anti-Trump messages.
Horowitz suggested that the IG is reviewing information concerning modified reports on witness interviews compiled by federal investigators, saying his office intended to "follow up" on the matter. Peter Strzok, an FBI agent under fire over a series of anti-Trump text messages, was "escorted" from the FBI building on Tuesday and Horowitz confirmed he was investigating whether or not the anti-Trump bias played a role in the launch of the bureau's Russia probe.
Horowitz's report on the Clinton email investigation, which was released last week, revealed a text sent by Strzok to his then-colleague and lover Lisa Page.
“This again shows a media that’s priorities are completely out of whack and, unfortunately, you have to say agenda-based, because obviously this IG report was bad for the FBI, and possibly good for President Trump,” The Hill media reporter Joe Concha told Bream on Tuesday night.
NBC’s “Nightly News” has fallen behind ABC’s “World News Tonight” and many observers feel Holt has never recovered from the presidential debate he moderated in the fall of 2016, when he badgered Donald Trump, angering some NBC viewers. During the debate, Holt questioned Trump aggressively about the racially charged issue of police “stop and frisk” policies while, critics say, he lobbed softballs at Clinton.
Fox News’ Gregg Re and Elizabeth Zwirz contributed to this report.
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