Anderson Cooper Claps Back at GOP Rep For Pushing ‘Shadowy Conspiracy’ About CNN/Mueller

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper addressed remarks made by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Doug Collins (R-GA) during his question-and-answer session at Friday’s testimony by Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker. Collins, along with Whitaker, suggested that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office tipped off CNN on longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone’s arrest so the network could capture the footage.

TRANSCRIPT

COOPER: There was another moment of note at the hearing today. Two Republicans, including ranking member Doug Collins of Georgia, raised the issue of Roger Stone’s arrest in Florida, which CNN was there exclusively to cover, suggesting along with the acting attorney general that there was something nefarious about CNN’s presence there.

[Plays clip of Collins and Whitaker]

COOPER: This should be on our ‘Ridiculist.’

CNN has been upfront from the start how we came to be there that morning. In fact, we wrote a full piece on it the day of the arrest. Congressman Collins likely knows the real story but we can only guess he suggested some shadowy conspiracy because it tucks neatly into the idea that the so-called mainstream media is in cahoots with the special counsel. As I said we can only guess because we invited the congressman on the program and, shocker, he declined.

The truth is we got the scoop through plain ole shoe-leather reporting and a little luck. A CNN producer and photojournalist were there because our ongoing reporting at the courthouse where the grand jury meets led us to suspect an arrest might be imminent. Armed with that, our team was just staking out Stone’s house. They arrived about an hour before FBI agents went in. No tipoff, just hard work.

Watch the clip above, via CNN.