On Tuesday, the undercover investigative journalism outfit Project Veritas released a video of ABC News anchor Amy Robach venting about ABC spiking her Jeffrey Epstein scoop three years ago.
Robach said that she “had everything,” including interviews with a victim as well as damning information on former President Bill Clinton.
“I’ve had this interview with Virginia Roberts, we would not put it on the air,” Robach said in the video. “She told me everything. She had pictures, she had everything. She was in hiding for 12 years. We convinced her to come out. We convinced her to talk to us. It was unbelievable what we had, Clinton, we had everything. I tried for three years to get it on to no avail, and now it’s all coming out and it’s like these new revelations and I freaking had all of it. I I’m so pissed right now.”
ABC News defended its refusal to air the story. In a statement, the network said, “At the time, not all of our reporting met our standards for air.”
But where were these strict “standards” when ABC News covered the obviously fantastical claims of Jussie Smollett?
After all, rather than questioning whether Smollett’s claims of being the victim of a racist hate crime “met our standards for air,” ABC dispatched Robin Roberts to help prop up Smollett’s now-discredited hate crime story.
Roberts’ Smollett interview was notable for her complete lack of journalistic curiosity; rather than challenging the veracity of the actor’s accusations, she tossed him softballs, offering the actor her network to use as a platform.
Among her questions (all of which presume the actor is telling the truth):
— “What do you feel people need to hear the most from this story?”
— “Why do you think you were targeted?”
— “And there is no doubt in your mind what motivated this attack?”
Roberts followed up the interview with more support for Smollett: “That’s the first time he’s given a detailed account, an account that Chicago police have said that been consistent. He hasn’t changed his story. They also said it’s credible. Police have said that and also that he has been very cooperative.”
So why one standard for Smollett and another for Epstein? Let us know what you think in the comments below.