Anderson Cooper calls out Ron Johnson over text message ‘conspiracies’

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper tore into Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Wednesday, accusing him of promoting “conspiracies” related to newly released text message between FBI employees.

Johnson released a report Tuesday that included the exchange between FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page, arguing that the texts raised questions about President Obama’s involvement in the investigation into Clinton’s email use.

However, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the text messages exchanged between two FBI employees stating that then-President Obama wanted “to know everything” referred to the bureau’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, not a probe into Hillary Clinton’s email server.

Cooper on Wednesday night went off on Johnson for “sounding the alarm” on the FBI texts and calling it evidence of bias in the Justice Department investigation in January. {mosads}

“Cue the conspiracy theories, cue the hyperbole,” Cooper said, referring to President Trump’s tweet on Wednesday that the new texts are “bombshells.” 

“This is the second time Sen. Johnson has made a claim alleging some conspiracy based on these text messages only for it to turn out to be either not true or not in context,” the host said, referencing claims by Johnson in January that the text messages proved the existence of an anti-Trump “secret society.” 

Johnson is one of a number of GOP lawmakers to have expressed concern that the Strzok and Page messages reveal a political bias against the president within the top levels of the government.

Trump and congressional Republicans have pointed to anti-Trump texts between Strzok and Page, who both served on the special counsel’s Russia probe, as evidence that the FBI was politically motivated against the president in opening an investigation into Russian election meddling looking into his campaign. 

Strzok was removed from the probe last summer after the Justice Department became aware of the text messages.