The FBI 'Warning' to Giuliani That Never Happened
■ The claim
All three outlets reported that the FBI had warned Rudy Giuliani in 2019 that he was the target of a Russian disinformation operation.
■ What actually happened
On April 29, 2021, the outlets reported that Giuliani had received a so-called defensive briefing. On May 1, all three corrected their stories. According to the corrections, the FBI prepared such a briefing, but it was never given to him, partly over concerns about the criminal investigation of Giuliani. The Post also withdrew its claim that One America News had been warned. All three kept their reporting that the FBI saw Giuliani as a Russian target.
■ The proof
Corrections appended by all three outlets on May 1, 2021. NBC said its single source was contradicted by a second.
■ Original reporting
- Washington Post: FBI was aware Giuliani was targeted (corrected)https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/rudy-giuliani-fbi-warning-russia/2021/04/29/5db90f96-a84e-11eb-bca5-048b2759a489_story.html
- New York Times: Giuliani / Yovanovitch story (corrected)https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/nyregion/giuliani-yovanovitch-search-warrant-ukraine.html
- NBC News: Giuliani 2019 briefing story (corrected)https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/giuliani-received-2019-briefing-fbi-warning-he-was-target-russian-n1265971
■ Corrections, findings & records
- Salon: NYT, Washington Post, NBC issue corrections to Giuliani storieshttps://www.salon.com/2021/05/02/nyt-washington-post-nbc-news-issue-corrections-to-giuliani-stories
- Brooklyn Eagle (AP): NY Times, Washington Post, NBC correct articleshttps://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/05/03/ny-times-washington-post-nbc-correct-articles-on-giuliani/
- Anchorage Daily News (WaPo analysis): How 3 news organizations got it wronghttps://adn.com/nation-world/2021/05/04/analysis-how-3-major-news-organizations-all-got-a-story-about-rudy-giuliani-wrong
■ Wayback Machine copies
Stories sometimes get edited after publication. These links open the Internet Archive's earliest snapshot of each original.
- Archive copy: Washington Post: FBI was aware Giuliani was targeted (corrected)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/rudy-giuliani-fbi-warning-russia/2021/04/29/5db90f96-a84e-11eb-bca5-048b2759a489_story.html
- Archive copy: New York Times: Giuliani / Yovanovitch story (corrected)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/nyregion/giuliani-yovanovitch-search-warrant-ukraine.html
- Archive copy: NBC News: Giuliani 2019 briefing story (corrected)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/giuliani-received-2019-briefing-fbi-warning-he-was-target-russian-n1265971
■ Grade
RETRACTED: The outlet itself retracted, corrected, or settled. How we grade →