CNN’s Stelter: Fox News is in denial about Mueller investigation

CNN’s Brian Stelter said Fox News is in denial about the seriousness of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian ties with the Trump administration. 

“The more Mueller discovers, the more Trump’s TV boosters have to deny, deny, deny,” Stelter said Sunday on CNN’s “Reliable Sources.” “The worse things things look for Trump’s inner circle, the worse the deflections get.” 

Stelter said that while a new CNN poll found that 61 percent of Americans believe the Russia investigation is a serious issue, if you’re watching Fox News then “you’re hearing the opposite.” 

{mosads}Stelter showed a clip from Fox News in which Tucker Carlson slams the intense news coverage of the investigation, which has lasted more than a year. 

“Almost no information has come out to justify the opposition. None has come out to justify collusion and most Americans are no longer interested, if they ever were,” Carlson said. 

So far, Mueller has indicted 19 people and three companies in connection with his investigation. 

The CNN poll also found that 72 percent of Americans are very or somewhat concerned about foreign interference in U.S. elections, and 70 percent of Americans are concerned about Russian-backed disinformation campaigns. 

In another clip, Fox News’s Greg Gutfeld slammed “election losers” for blocking the news cycle from moving on. 

“This is their Benghazi, this is their thing,” Gutfeld said. “It’s paper-thin but they’re clutching on it hard.” 

Stelter fired back by saying Gutfeld wasn’t looking at the paper that is “piling up,” showcasing the number of subpoenas and indictments that have been brought forth by Mueller. 

He also showed a clip of Sean Hannity saying the “witch hunt” was only supposed to focus on Trump-Russia collusion. 

“Someone please show Sean the original letter from the attorney general’s office appointing Mueller as special counsel,” Stelter responded. “It doesn’t say the word collusion but it says Mueller is charged with investigating any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign or President Donald Trump and — this is key — any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.” 

In the last few days, several news stories have come out regarding what Mueller is digging at. 

Mueller is reportedly investigating whether Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner impacted the administration’s policies based on business deals with his family’s real estate company. 

The special counsel office is also reportedly preparing charges against Russians who hacked and leaked information from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign chairman John Podesta.