Former Breitbart Writer Joins Russia’s Sputnik Propaganda Network, Doubts Assad’s Role in Chemical Attack

“There was a chemical attack. I am not convinced at all that Assad is the one who carried it up,” Lee Stranahan tweets in wake of U.S. airstrikes in Syria

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Lee Stranahan, an investigative reporter who quit Breitbart News last month in protest, has landed an unusual new gig: doing a radio show for the Russian government-backed propaganda network Sputnik.

“I’m on the Russian payroll now, when you work at Sputnik you’re being paid by the Russians,” Stranahan told The Atlantic this week. “That’s what it is. I don’t have any qualms about it. Nothing about it really affects my position on stuff that I’ve had for years now.”

And already, Stranahan is kicking up quite a stir — repeating Russia and Syria’s assertion that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was not responsible for this week’s devastating chemical-weapon attack on 80 civilians in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun.

The attack, which Turkey reported was the result of the Syrian government’s use of banned nerve agent sarin, prompted President Trump on Thursday to order a military airstrike of 59 Tomahawk missiles on a Syrian air base.

“There was a chemical attack. I am not convinced at all that it was Assad who carried it up,” Stranahan tweeted early Friday morning.

“I have studied this whole question for years, and I believe it is the rebels a.k.a. Islamists,” he added.

And like several conservatives, he notes that Trump’s Democratic opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, called for airstrikes on Syria’s air bases as recently as Thursday.

“For years, Democrats have been pushing for war with Assad, who is fighting Islamists in Syria,” he tweeted.

Stranahan plans to launch a radio show for Sputnik called “Fault Lines” with liberal commentator Garland Nixon.

But despite intense interest in Russian involvement in hacking the Democratic National Committee and attempting to influence the presidential election — as well as investigations of Trump campaign officials’ ties to Russian operatives — Stranahan defended his decision to work for Sputnik.

“There’s no restrictions on what I can say, what I can do, anything like that,” he told The Atlantic. “I’m not easily controllable.”

Thom Geier

Thom is an award-winning editor and writer with a keen knowledge of American pop culture and a knack for finding original approaches that inform and delight readers. He’s handled breaking news as well as long-term feature packages, mentored young writers who have become industry leaders, and developed fresh, shareable content across both print and digital…

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