BuzzFeed announced Monday it has hired a former CNN reporter who resigned after penning an unverified story, which the network was later forced to retract.
In June, Thomas Frank wrote a story that alleged Congress was investigating President Donald Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci's ties to a Russian investment fund, citing an anonymous source. Scaramucci and his lawyers immediately disputed the story, and threatened to sue.
CNN soon had to apologize and retract the article, realizing it had failed to fully vet the story. The New York Times later reported that Frank's single source had begun to waver on the story before publication, but the reporter did not inform his superiors.
In the aftermath, Frank and two of the editors involved in the story's publication resigned. The resigned CNN reporter has now found a new position at BuzzFeed as a national security reporter, Vanity Fair reported.
Frank told the magazine he did not think the mess-up would affect his reporting.
"I don't think it's gonna make it harder for me to report the [Russia] story," he said. "It might mean people will be watching me extra closely, which I welcome."
BuzzFeed editor in chief Ben Smith says he does not believe Frank was to blame for the retracted story and that he will be an asset for the website.
"I think we'll break more news," Smith said. "Tom brings a depth of experience and sourcing."