NEW YORK— Turning to the public in their search for possible leads, CNN set up a 24-hour anonymous tip line Thursday in hopes of contacting those with possible alternatives to the network’s commonly used phrase “Mueller closing in.” “We’re looking for anyone from individuals placed deep inside the Trump administration to folks who know their way around a thesaurus, and we have people standing by to take your call,” said CNN spokesperson Lauren Hoffman, who emphasized that even slight variations or tweaks to the description of the special counsel’s progress, no matter how incremental or insignificant, would be given immediate consideration. “We’re nearly at a standstill at this point—we’re committed to maintaining continuous coverage of the Russia probe, but we’ve run out of ways to say ‘endgame,’ or to ask ‘What does this mean for Trump going forward?’ so we’re opening it up to the public to provide us with suggestions that could help us vary our presentation. Please, no tip is too small.” Hoffman added that anyone with insights into fresh ways to express the ideas “the Russia probe is just about over” or “the Russia probe is only just getting started” are also strongly urged to contact CNN.

Advertisement