Media Split on Durham Probe, Clinton Ties

Left and right media are divided over whether a special counsel's investigation shows that Hillary Clinton paid to spy on the Trump White House.

In a recent court filing from special counsel John Durham, who is probing the government's investigation of Russian election interference, he accused a tech executive of working with a Clinton campaign lawyer and distorting private White House data in an effort to show evidence of collusion between former President Donald Trump and Russia. The lawyer was indicted last year for lying to the FBI about his connections to Clinton. Some on the right said the filing was significant evidence that Clinton paid to spy on Trump, and some on the left characterized that narrative as false or exaggerated. Durham said this week that any media misinterpretation of information in the filing "does not in any way undermine the valid reasons for the government’s inclusion of this information." Trump said the news was "bigger than Watergate," Clinton accused him of "spinning up a fake scandal."

Many voices on the right accuse left- and center-rated media of ignoring or downplaying the probe due to anti-Trump media bias. Left-rated media often frames Durham's probe as less meaningful, and some accuse Fox News and other right-wing sources of distorting the probe and spreading misinformation about Clinton. Some left- and center-rated media said Durham was "distancing himself" from conservatives who purportedly politicize his investigation; some on the right said Durham was standing by his evidence.