The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NBC News have retracted earlier reporting that incorrectly stated former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was directly warned by the FBI that he was targeted by a Russian intelligence influence operation.
The stories came out after federal investigators executed a search warrant at the home and office of the former New York mayor. The searches were allegedly linked to Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine, while Giuliani said he believes the search warrant was issued because he allegedly failed to file with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for representing a Ukrainian national or office. He has since denied any wrongdoing.
The Post was the first to report the incorrect information. It also incorrectly stated that One America News had also received a similar warning from the FBI.
“This version has been corrected to remove assertions that OAN and Giuliani received the warnings,” the correction appended on the article states.
The NY Times made its correction on a story about Giuliani’s alleged role in the 2019 recall of ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch.
“An earlier version of this article misstated whether Rudolph W. Giuliani received a formal warning from the F.B.I. about Russian disinformation. Mr. Giuliani did not receive such a so-called defensive briefing,” the correction states.
Meanwhile, NBC News elaborated on why it corrected the story, saying that a second source disputed the assertions of the first source as the briefing was only prepared for Giuliani and not delivered to him. Both sources were anonymously cited in the article.
“The report was based on a source familiar with the matter, but a second source now says the briefing was only prepared for Giuliani and not delivered to him, in part over concerns it might complicate the criminal investigation of Giuliani,” the NBC News correction reads.
BY JANITA KAN
