John Dowd, while heading Trump's legal team, sought to help pay legal fees for Paul Manafort and Richard Gates, initially trying to divert money from the White House legal defense fund and later soliciting donors and pledging $25,000 of his own https://t.co/EMm6RvBadD

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) September 21, 2018

31 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

L'Affaire de Ed Whelan is truly revealing the GOP to be comprised mostly of a band of nutjobs.  There is just no other way to describe it.  They really are panicking and it's not pretty.

 

What gets me is this wasn't even a crackpot theory from a fringe voice, like I initially thought. It turns out many on the right who are in huge positions of power were apparently involved in this plan. Yet apparently they were still protected and deluded enough to just assume Whelan had far more evidence than yet another Twitter conspiracy theory. Even after the fact, "intellectual" blowhards like the NYT's very own Ross Douthat were telling people to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

 

I really do have to wonder if the man being accused was not a Kavanaugh supporter, would so many on the right have backed off in the first place? 

 

It's terrifying to think someone who is this insanely bold to blast this stuff all over Twitter is so insulated by those who are now running our country. 

2 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

L'Affaire de Ed Whelan is truly revealing the GOP to be comprised mostly of a band of nutjobs.  There is just no other way to describe it.  They really are panicking and it's not pretty.

 

What's amazing is that Kavanaugh's defenders have claimed that Ford is smearing an innocent man with false allegations so in order to defend him they...smear an innocent man with false allegations, essentially using the "all white people look alike" approach.

3 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

L'Affaire de Ed Whelan is truly revealing the GOP to be comprised mostly of a band of nutjobs.  There is just no other way to describe it.  They really are panicking and it's not pretty.

 It still feels so unreal to me at times. I guess it was always under the surface and Trump has released the kraken.  The fact that he was elected despite all the racism and all of the misogyny made clear where things stand.

NYT printed this Rosenstein story, which is clearly dropped by Bill Shine and Trump to try to push a narrative to fire Rosenstein. Other outlets (including the Post, I believe) have since claimed Rosenstein's remarks were sarcasm.

 

 

The deputy attorney general on the president who appointed him: https://t.co/w3aIiYiN7Z pic.twitter.com/3WVu0Arscd

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 21, 2018

Maggie Haberman - always a willing and uncritical mouthpiece for the feuding WH when it means access - promoted the original story without context, then began her usual routine of snidely talking down to any criticism of it.

Then she ran afoul of David Simon, longtime Baltimore journalist and very hot-tempered creator of The Wire. It isn't going well for her.

 

"Huge scoop." And the statuette for best all-time use of a false narrative and unnamed sources by a national reporter to advance an administration's agenda passes from Judith Miller to Adam Goldman. The NYT keeps the crown. https://t.co/NytJKIiTKS

— David Simon (@AoDespair) September 21, 2018

Moreover, Ms. Haberman, the lack of healthy skepticism in the article with regard to the administration's essential need and purposes to derail an investigation and their long-standing attacks on those responsible for it? An abdication of what better reporters call "context."

— David Simon (@AoDespair) September 21, 2018

End of the day, @maggieNYT, context is king. You guys raised the idea of sarcasm, then allowed sources to dismiss it next graf. Here, different narrative. Context asks: Which version threatens the truth-finding process, which is neutral to it? Motive.https://t.co/COmwnL4Mav

— David Simon (@AoDespair) September 21, 2018

I think your quick resort to questions about my sincerity & a cheap reference to decade-old unrelated work - referenced by you, not me - embarrasses you. Ad hom is a mug's game. I admire NYT in many regards, but in this instance, its take on a selective leak/motives, is poor. https://t.co/yDYkKWYYVY

— David Simon (@AoDespair) September 21, 2018

How can anyone ever strongly criticize the SUBSTANCE of any professional effort without doing so? I think this an epically misplayed narrative, disastrous for the republic. I am saying so. And my criticism of your colleague speaks to his performance here. It does not "smear"...

— David Simon (@AoDespair) September 21, 2018

...Ms. Haberman, conceive of a world in which the NYT is roundly criticized for its product and your first resort is not to declare that the integrity of your colleagues is being smeared and that your first resort is to attack the critic ad hom? It's grown-up stuff, but try.

— David Simon (@AoDespair) September 21, 2018

Haberman's increasingly weak replies to Simon as she realizes she has finally taken on too big a fish are embedded in Simon's tweets.

Edited September 21, 20187 yr by Vee

The "liberal" New York Times strikes again. You can feel the media itching for that Trump comeback. Another day another degradation.

 

Oh and it's also a way to get the story off Kavanaugh, which the media would love too. 

Edited September 21, 20187 yr by DRW50

I actually don't think most of the media want that. I do think it would work for people like Haberman who still seem to only view a lot of this as an access game.

 

It's cognitive dissonance: A lot of folks at the Times know and feel Trump is bad, but they also have intense ego issues over their reporting as the paper of record, and feel anyone who questions their closeness to their sources (including the Trump family and circle) is hysterical, too liberal and doesn't understand the game they need to play. It's also why none of the NYT folks ever admitted fault on Clinton - she had it coming and it was the game.

Edited September 21, 20187 yr by Vee

BREAKING: @SecretaryRoss must sit for deposition about his decision to add the citizenship question to the 2020 census.

"Secretary Ross must sit for deposition because, among other things, his intent and credibility are directly at issue."

Background: https://t.co/7F7axoK6xH pic.twitter.com/Ih0IiZVQHq

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) September 21, 2018

First that anonymous Op-ed, Maggie Haberman carrying water for the White House, and now this.  This from Gabriel Sherman so we know exactly where this story came from

 

 

Oh and this

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-venezuela/u-s-preparing-actions-in-coming-days-against-venezuela-pompeo-to-fox-news-idUSKCN1M12RF?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+(Reuters+World+News)&__twitter_impression=true

 

Edited September 21, 20187 yr by JaneAusten

Some folks are only gonna learn the hard way: #ETTD (Everything Trump touches dies).

 

 

59 minutes ago, Vee said:

I actually don't think most of the media want that. I do think it would work for people like Haberman who still seem to only view a lot of this as an access game.

 

This is one time I've got to agree with Carl. I'm seeing too much of this sort of thing from white journalbros. They just keep telling on themselves.

 

 

 

I'll never believe Dave Weigel is into Trump. I think some of that stuff is unnecessary doomsaying from decent people. Others definitely view it as a game - or lean conservative.

Grassley imposes 10:00 p.m. deadline to hear from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford to contact the Senate about her Spanish Inquisition - or they vote. I assume on Monday. At this point? I say go ahead.

 

Then let the women DESTROY the GOP in November.

Edited September 21, 20187 yr by Wendy

23 minutes ago, Wendy said:

Grassley imposes 10:00 p.m. deadline to hear from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford to contact the Senate about her Spanish Inquisition - or they vote. I assume on Monday. At this point? I say go ahead.

 

Then let the women DESTROY the GOP in November.

Look at how many white women voted for 45, even though there were many allegations of sexual misconduct against him and a video of him bragging about "grabbing".   A lot of these women are self hating thanks to the way they were raised.

 

Obviously, I hope more women will come to their senses after the last couple of years.  We'll see.

And the Kavanaugh mess reaches a new level: Ed Whelan, the scumbag now being humiliated and roasted for his botched "other guy attacked Dr. Ford" theory apparently accessed Dr. Ford's LinkedIn site before her name had gone public. And Whelan and Kavanaugh are tight.

 

Still want to tell me Kavanaugh is innocent?

Id tell Dr. Ford forget the kangaroo court. They don't care and it won't be remotely fair. Book an interview on 60 minutes - get some folks who can verify your story(psychiatrist, husband) and tell your story there. I am sure she has a ton of interviewers dying for this. She controls the forum and format.. The senate is going to do what they do.