CNN accepted the resignations Monday of three journalists involved in a retracted story about a supposed investigation into a pre-inaugural meeting between an associate of President Donald Trump and the head of a Russian investment fund.

The story was posted on the network's website on Thursday and was removed, with all links disabled, Friday night. CNN immediately apologized to Anthony Scaramucci, the Trump transition team member who was reported to be involved in the meeting.

The story's author, Thomas Frank, was among those who resigned, according to a network executive who requested anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss personnel issues. Also losing their jobs were Eric Lichtblau, an assistant managing editor in CNN's Washington bureau, and Lex Haris, head of the investigations unit.

CNN, in initially taking down the story, said it didn't meet its editorial standards. The episode is a damaging blow for a network that Trump has frequently derided as "fake news," and for a story that never even made it onto any of CNN's television networks.

The story had been quickly questioned both internally and externally, including by the conservative site Breitbart News. It was determined that the story was posted without going through the expected checks and balances for a story of such sensitivity, the executive said.

The failure to follow proper procedures is what led to the resignations, the CNN executive said.

It's not immediately clear what in the story is factually incorrect, or whether CNN will continue to report on the issue. The retracted story had said the Senate intelligence committee was looking into a January 16 discussion between Scaramucci and Kirill Dmitriev, whose Russian Direct Investment Fund guides investments by U.S. entities in Russia. Scaramucci, in the story, said he exchanged pleasantries in a restaurant with Dmitriev.

The report also said that two Democratic senators wanted to know whether Scaramucci had indicated in the meeting whether sanctions against Russia would be lifted, a decision that could impact the investment fund.

Following the retraction, Scaramucci tweeted that CNN "did the right thing. Classy move. Apology accepted. Everyone makes mistakes. Moving on."

Haris, in a statement to CNN's "Reliable Sources," noted that he'd been with CNN since 2001, "and am sure about one thing: This is a news organization that prizes accuracy and fairness above all else. I am leaving, but will carry those principles wherever I go."

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This story has been amended to correct congressional committee's name to Senate intelligence committee, and to correct the spelling of Lex Haris' name.</s>REUTERS: Time Warner's news division CNN has accepted the resignations of three journalists after the publication of a Russia-related article that was later retracted, a CNN spokesperson said on Monday.

The three journalists included Thomas Frank, the writer of the story; Eric Lichtblau, an editor in CNN's investigative unit; and Lex Haris, who oversaw the unit, the network had earlier reported.

The Russia-related story, published on Thursday, reported Congress was investigating the ties of a Russian investment fund to an aide of U.S. President Donald Trump.

CNN had reported an internal investigation by its management found that certain editorial processes were not followed when the article was published.

The report said CNN had deleted the story from its website on Friday night after its investigation.

The story was replaced with an editor's note of apology to Anthony Scaramucci, the Trump aide who was reported to be investigated in the story.

Trump has been critical of CNN, calling the news outlet "fake news" and refusing to take a CNN reporter's questions at his first formal news conference earlier in the year after his Nov. 8 electoral win.</s>Three journalists, including the executive editor of a new investigative branch, have left CNN following the recent retraction of a story on an alleged Congress investigation into a “Russian investment fund with ties to Trump officials.”

Report author Thomas Frank and two senior CNN Investigations Unit figures resigned over the story. Investigations Unit editor Eric Lichtblau and Lex Haris, CNN Investigations executive editor, who was building a team that includes notorious Russia-hawk Michael Weiss, both resigned.

“In the aftermath of the retraction of a story published on CNN.com, CNN has accepted the resignations of the employees involved in the story’s publication,” CNN stated.

READ MORE: CNN host accused of making racist comment to Indian American Spelling Bee winner

The Russia-related article quoted “a single anonymous source,” and was to be examined by “fact-checkers, journalism standards experts and lawyers” before being presented to the public. Haris, Lichtblau, and Frank failed to follow “some standard editorial processes,” a CNN internal investigation concluded.

“This breakdown in editorial workflow disturbed the CNN executives who learned about it,” CNN correspondent Brian Stelter said.

The resignations of the three men, who are experienced journalists, “are likely to come as a surprise to colleagues.” Lichtblau was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, and Haris had been working at the company since 2001 and was the executive editor of CNN Money before joining the investigative unit.

“On Friday, CNN retracted a story published by my team. As Executive Editor of that team, I have resigned,” Haris said.

CNN, however, has not concluded that “the facts of the story were necessarily wrong,” saying that “the story wasn’t solid enough to publish as-is,” the correspondent said, citing people involved in the investigation.

Following the journalists’ departures, US President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., called the story “the biggest fake news scandal in the network’s history,” and called on the company’s president, Jeff Zucker, to admit the story was fake.

“Maybe Jeff Zucker should do an on-camera press briefing about CNN’s fake news scandal before the White House does any more of them,” he told Breitbart News.

The story claimed that the Senate Intelligence Committee was investigating ties between several figures in the Trump camp and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The article mentioned a meeting between Trump’s ally and financier, Anthony Scaramucci, and the CEO of the RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, claiming that the investigators wondered if they had discussed lifting US sanctions against Russia at the World Economic Forum in Davos last year. Both sides denied speaking on the topic, while Scaramucci told CNN that there was “nothing there.” The news company had to apologize to the financier.

Following the scandal, a report emerged on BuzzFeed, saying that all Russia-related articles will be under “new publishing restrictions.” BuzzFeed cited a leaked email which prohibits publishing “any content involving Russia” before showing it to the executive editor of CNN Money, Rich Barbieri, and Vice President of Premium Content Video Jason Farkas.</s>Trump takes another swipe at CNN following resignations

 Eds: APNewsNow. With AP Photos.

NEW YORK (AP) – President Donald Trump is using the resignations of three CNN journalists involved in a retracted Russia-related story to resume his attack on the network’s credibility.

The story was about a supposed investigation into a pre-inaugural meeting between an associate of Trump and the head of a Russian investment fund. CNN accepted the resignations Monday.

Trump tweeted Tuesday morning, “Wow, CNN had to retract big story on ‘Russia,’ with 3 employees forced to resign. What about all the other phony stories they do? FAKE NEWS!”

The story was posted on the network’s website Thursday and was removed Friday night. CNN immediately apologized to Anthony Scaramucci, the Trump transition team member who was reported to be involved in the meeting.

CNN says it has accepted the resignations of three employees involved in a retracted story about a supposed investigation into a pre-inaugural meeting between an associate of President Donald Trump and the head of a Russian investment fund.

The story was posted Thursday on CNN’s website. It was retracted the next night, and CNN apologized to Anthony Scaramucci, the Trump transition team member named in the story.

CNN said the story didn’t meet its editorial standards. A network executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss personnel issues, said Monday that story author Thomas Frank resigned. Also losing their jobs are Eric Lichtblau, an assistant managing editor at the organization’s Washington bureau, and Lex Harris, head of the investigations unit.</s>NEW YORK — Three CNN journalists, including the executive editor in charge of a new investigative unit, have resigned after the publication of a Russia-related article that was retracted.

Thomas Frank, who wrote the story in question; Eric Lichtblau, an editor in the unit; and Lex Haris, who oversaw the unit, have all left CNN.

“In the aftermath of the retraction of a story published on CNN.com, CNN has accepted the resignations of the employees involved in the story’s publication,” a spokesman said Monday evening.

An internal investigation by CNN management found that some standard editorial processes were not followed when the article was published, people briefed on the results of the investigation said.

The story, which reported that Congress was investigating a “Russian investment fund with ties to Trump officials,” cited a single anonymous source.

These types of stories are typically reviewed by several departments within CNN — including fact-checkers, journalism standards experts and lawyers — before publication.

This breakdown in editorial workflow disturbed the CNN executives who learned about it.

In a staff meeting Monday afternoon, investigative unit members were told that the retraction did not mean the facts of the story were necessarily wrong. Rather, it meant that “the story wasn’t solid enough to publish as-is,” one of the people briefed on the investigation said.

The reporting about the Russian investment fund and Trump officials was not relayed on CNN’s television channels, but it was published on the web and shared on social media.

On Friday, one of the people named in the story, Trump ally Anthony Scaramucci, disputed Frank’s reporting and said, “I did nothing wrong.”

Friday night, once it was determined that editorial processes were not followed, CNN deleted the story from CNN.com. Soon thereafter, the story was officially retracted and replaced with an editor’s note.

The piece “did not meet CNN’s editorial standards and has been retracted,” the note said. “Links to the story have been disabled.”

The editor’s note also included an apology to Scaramucci.

“CNN did the right thing. Classy move. Apology accepted,” Scaramucci tweeted the next morning. “Everyone makes mistakes. Moving on.”

The departures of Haris, Lichtblau and Frank are likely to come as a surprise to colleagues, particularly given the reputations of the three men.

Frank worked for USA Today and Newsday for three decades, pursuing investigations and covering the Iraq war as an embedded reporter, before coming to work at CNN.

He was part of an ambitious new investigative unit that was created last winter, bringing together existing teams from within the company and new hires like Lichtblau.

A veteran of The New York Times who won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2006, Lichtblau joined CNN just three months ago.

Haris, who was named the executive editor of CNN Investigates in January, was previously the executive editor of CNNMoney.

“On Friday, CNN retracted a story published by my team. As Executive Editor of that team, I have resigned,” Haris said in a statement. “I’ve been with CNN since 2001, and am sure about one thing: This is a news organization that prizes accuracy and fairness above all else. I am leaving, but will carry those principles wherever I go.”</s>Three journalists from CNN’s investigative unit are leaving the network after the retraction of their June 22 story connecting an ally of President Trump to a Russian investment fund.

The story, citing an anonymous source, said Senate investigators were examining a meeting between Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci and an executive for the Russian Direct Investment Fund. The $10-billion fund makes direct investments in Russian companies.

The retracted story appeared on CNN’s website and did not air on television.

CNN removed the story and all connecting links to it late Friday, saying the story did not meet its editorial standards. CNN also issued an apology to Scaramucci, who accepted it with a tweet on Saturday. “Everyone makes mistakes,” he wrote. “Moving on.”

Scaramucci had said on Friday that the story is not true.

Thomas Frank, who wrote the piece, Eric Lichtblau, an editor in the investigative unit, and Lex Haris, an editor at CNN since 2001 who oversaw the unit, are all departing following a management review of the story.

"In the aftermath of the retraction of a story published on CNN.com, CNN has accepted the resignations of the employees involved in the story's publication," a spokesman said Monday evening.

The swift investigation and departure of the three journalists is probably a sign that CNN wants to protect itself against allegations of “fake news” from Trump and his supporters.

CNN’s website reported that an internal review by the company’s management found that some “standard editorial processes were not followed when the article was published.”

The site added that although the facts in the story were “not solid” enough for publication, CNN has not said the story is false.

All three of the exiting journalists are seasoned veterans.

Frank is a longtime Washington political reporter, who joined CNN’s investigative unit after stints at Newsday and USA Today. Lichtblau, who joined CNN in April, was recently hired away from the New York Times. He had been a key player in the newspaper’s reporting on the relationship between the Trump campaign and Russia.

"On Friday, CNN retracted a story published by my team. As executive editor of that team, I have resigned," Haris said in a statement. "I've been with CNN since 2001, and am sure about one thing: This is a news organization that prizes accuracy and fairness above all else. I am leaving, but will carry those principles wherever I go."

CNN has beefed up its staffing in recent years to do more investigative reporting. The network’s aggressive journalism, particularly on the campaign’s alleged Russian ties, has led Trump to harshly criticize the network.

CNN is the only major U.S. TV news organization that has not had a sit-down interview with the president since he was elected.

BuzzFeed reported Sunday that CNN is imposing tighter restrictions on the online publication of stories about Russia in response to how the Scaramucci piece was handled.</s>Three CNN journalists, including the executive editor in charge of a new investigative unit, have resigned after the publication of a Russia-related article that was retracted. Thomas Frank, who wrote the story in question; Eric Lichtblau, an editor in the unit; and Lex Haris, who oversaw the unit, have all left CNN. "In the aftermath of the retraction of a story published on CNN.com, CNN has accepted the resignations of the employees involved in the story's publication," a spokesman said Monday evening.</s>FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2017 file photo, Anthony Scaramucci, a senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, talks to reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. CNN isn't commenting Monday, June 26, as to what led it to retract a story about a supposed investigation into a pre-inaugural meeting between an associate of Trump and the head of a Russian investment fund. The story posted Thursday on CNN's website said Senate investigators are looking into the meeting between Scaramucci and Kirill Dmitriev, whose Russian Direct Investment Fund guides investments by U.S. entities in Russia. Scaramucci, in the story, said he exchanged pleasantries in a restaurant with Dmitriev. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

The Latest on a retracted CNN story about a supposed investigation in a Donald Trump associated and the head of a Russian investment fund (all times local):

CNN says it has accepted the resignations of three employees involved in a retracted story about a supposed investigation into a pre-inaugural meeting between an associate of President Donald Trump and the head of a Russian investment fund.

The story was posted Thursday on CNN's website. It was retracted the next night, and CNN apologized to Anthony Scaramucci, the Trump transition team member named in the story.

CNN said the story didn't meet its editorial standards. A network executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss personnel issues, said Monday that story author Thomas Frank resigned. Also losing their jobs are Eric Lichtblau, an assistant managing editor at the organization's Washington bureau, and Lex Harris, head of the investigations unit.

CNN wasn't saying Monday what led it to retract a story about a supposed investigation into a pre-inaugural meeting between an associate of President Donald Trump and the head of a Russian investment fund.

The story posted Thursday on CNN's website said Senate investigators are looking into the meeting between Anthony Scaramucci, a member of Trump's transition team, and Kirill Dmitriev, whose Russian Direct Investment Fund guides investments by U.S. entities in Russia. Scaramucci, in the story, said he exchanged pleasantries in a restaurant with Dmitriev.

On Friday night, CNN removed the story, saying it did not meet the news organization's standards. CNN apologized to Scaramucci.

It was unclear whether the story by reporter Thomas Frank appeared on any of CNN's television networks.</s>WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Three CNN journalists, including a Pulitzer Prize-winner, have resigned after the American news outlet was forced to retract a story it published linking a Trump transition team member to the Russia-related investigations.



CNN said Thomas Frank, who wrote the story in question; Eric Lichtblau, an editor in the unit; and Lex Haris, who oversaw the unit, have all left.



Thomas Frank is a veteran reporter who covered Iraq War, and was once nominated for Pulitzer-Prize. Assistant Managing Editor Lichtblau, who recently joined from the New York Times, is a Pulitzer winner himself. Lex Haris is the executive editor in charge of investigations.



The exclusive story, published late last week on the web and shared on social media, cited an anonymous source saying that the Senate Intelligence Committee was investigating ties between a Russian investment fund chief and Trump ally and financier Anthony Scaramucci.



The report also said that two Democratic senators wanted to know whether Scaramucci had indicated in the meeting whether sanctions against Russia would be lifted, a decision that could impact the investment fund.



Scaramucci denied any wrongdoing, and wanted the story to be deleted. CNN obliged Friday with an apology. CNN explained that it retracted the story because 'editorial processes were not followed,' and that the retraction did not mean the facts of the story were necessarily wrong.



President Donald Trump lashed out at CNN following the developments.



'Fake News CNN is looking at big management changes now that they got caught falsely pushing their phony Russian stories. Ratings way down!,' he tweeted Tuesday.



He added that NBC, CBS, ABC, New York Times and Washington Post 'are all Fake News!'



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX</s>Three CNN editorial staffers have resigned in the wake of last week’s retracted story that suggested a questionable link between an ally of President Trump and a Russian investment fund.

Thomas Frank, Eric Lichtblau and Lex Haris resigned in the wake of the story posted on CNN’s website that had to be retracted on Friday. CNN also issued an apology to the subject of the story, Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci.

Frank, an on-air reporter for “CNN Investigates” who wrote the story, and Lichtblau are veteran print reporters who joined CNN amid the expansion of the cable news powerhouse’s digital news operations. Haris had been with CNN since 2001, and was recently tapped to lead its newly formed investigative unit. Lichtblau, who earned a Pulitzer Prize for his work at the New York Times in 2006, came to CNN as an editor just a few months ago.

“On Friday, CNN retracted a story published by my team. As Executive Editor of that team, I have resigned,” Haris said in a statement, according to CNN. “I’ve been with CNN since 2001, and am sure about one thing: This is a news organization that prizes accuracy and fairness above all else. I am leaving, but will carry those principles wherever I go.”

CNN said the catalyst for the resignations was the fact that the Scaramucci story did not go through the standard review process by fact-checkers before it was posted. CNN reported that the breakdown in workflow “disturbed” CNN executives.
Three CNN journalists, Thomas Frank, Eric Lichtblau, and Lex Haris, resign after the publication of a Russia-related article involving President Donald Trump that was retracted.