How CNN Beat Everyone To The Roger Stone Punch

CNN found itself in the enviable position of being the only network staking out Roger Stone’s Fort Lauderdale residence in the small hours of Friday morning, getting dramatic (and constantly looped) footage of FBI agents rapping on Stone’s door and yelling that they had a warrant.

While some whispered about a lucky tip, CNN shot down the rumors, insisting that their D.C. reporters had ears to the ground and detected unusual grand jury activity. The grand jury empaneled for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe usually meets on Fridays. This week, they met on Thursday.

Crime and justice reporter David Shortell, who is based in Washington, D.C., said that “all roads lead to Roger Stone,” and he brought a cameraman with him to observe the Stone residence.

How CNN got the Stone exclusive pic.twitter.com/MyotDwd7uP

— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) January 25, 2019

CNN made no secret about their guess. Reporter Shimon Prokupecz told host Don Lemon late Thursday that they had noticed the activity and suspected that something big—probably related to Stone—would happen on Friday.

Prokupecz noted that last time the jury convened on a Thursday, indictments against a group of Russian nationals came down the next day.

CNN picks up on unusual jury activity before Stone arrest pic.twitter.com/fXckvGIRZy

— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) January 25, 2019

It was a “hunch,” Shortell said succinctly Friday on CNN.