Three CNN journalists resign as network apologises over controversial Trump-Russia story

Three CNN journalists have turned in their resignations after the broadcaster retracted a story about alleged meetings between an associate of President Donald Trump and a Russian, a spokesperson said Monday.

Thomas Frank, author of the article, was among those that CNN said resigned.

Eric Lichtblau, an editor in the investigations unit that published the story, and Lex Harris, head of the unit, have also stepped down, CNN said.

“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,” the network said.

The announcement came two days after the broadcaster published its retraction and apology while deleting all links relating to the story from its Website.

The story had stated that U.S. lawmakers were investigating a possible link between a Russian investment fund and Mr. Trump’s officials.

It said an ally of Mr. Trump, Anthony Scaramucci, had met with a Russian investment fund official prior to inauguration of the new president in January.

The report was part of the overall coverage of an ongoing investigation into alleged collusion between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Russians to manipulate the November 2016 elections.

Mr. Trump maintained the allegations were false and a desperate attempt at witch-hunt.

CNN said the controversial article failed to meet its editorial standards.

Mr. Scaramucci, who had initially complained about the accuracy of the story, accepted CNN’s apology Saturday.

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

Mr. Lichtblau, a former New York Times’ journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2006, joined CNN three months ago.