Donald Trump Called Out for Hypocritically Labeling CNN 'Fake News' When He Schemed to Pump Out Fake Stories

CNN anchor Jim Acosta called out former President Donald Trump for accusing CNN of sharing “fake news” ever since the 2016 primary campaign, especially after testimony now reveals that he was having then-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker put out literal fake news about his Republican opponents around that time, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Acosta discussed the coverage coming out of the Stormy Daniels hush money-election interference trial by pointing out the "hypocrisy" of Trump's attacks, calling CNN a "fake news" outlet during a January 2017 press conference.

Collins also pointed out the GOP leader's relationship with Pecker continued "into the White House."

Acosta began his broadcast with Collins and CNN co-host Jim Schultz, telling his viewers, "Court is now in session for another day of Donald Trump’s hush money trial ... At this moment, the jury is hearing testimony from former tabloid executive David Pecker, a man who says he still considers Donald Trump a friend despite spending the week laying out their alleged scheme to bury negative stories on Trump and illegally influence the 2016 election."

"A lot going on inside the courtroom right now," he continued. "We all remember the 2016 campaign. And for all of this talk of fake news, I mean, David Pecker is really laying out the scheme to not only kill negative stories but pump out fake news beneficial to Donald Trump."

Collins chimed in, telling Acosta, "Right now, what’s happening, just for an update for everyone, is David Pecker is back on the stand, he’s being cross-examined by Trump’s attorneys, and they are obviously trying to undermine everything that prosecutors laid out, this idea that there was a conspiracy hatched between Donald Trump and David Pecker to try to hurt his Republican rivals leading up to the 2016 campaign. It’s also to go after Hillary and Bill Clinton."

"So the way that they’re doing it right now is they’re questioning him about Ben Carson and stories that they had that they were publishing, implying that he had botched surgeries as a doctor," she continued. And what they’re basically trying to say is this was something that was already out there in other outlets. The National Enquirer was just recycling it."

"So, this isn’t something that was just a Donald Trump and David Pecker plan."

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Schultz jumped in, telling the panel, "I think it’s all about dirtying up the National Enquirer, right, and the industry in general, this — they called it checkbook journalism, I think, yesterday. They used the word standard operating procedure time and time again."

"It’s part of politics. It’s part of celebrity culture," he added. "This is all part of the dirty business of tabloid journalism. And I think you’re going to hear more and more about that. Now they’re moving on to Marco Rubio, right? So, they’re going to go through each one.