Washington Examiner Will Teach New York Times To Journalism Gooder

Or something.

Here at Wonkette, we are often MAD AT THE NEW YORK TIMES . It's kind of a thing -- we yell at them because we think they're doing journalism wrong. The Washington Examiner , however, is yelling at the Times for doing journalism right. Because when you've been shotgunning Tom Fitton's rancid Judicial Watch exhalations all day, big boy journalist stuff like confirming the story with the subject starts to look like demonic sorcery.

Here's the email from March 23, 2017 where the Times's Michael Schmidt asked Michael Kortan, the FBI's Assistant Director for Public Affairs, to comment on an upcoming story about Jared Kushner's secret meeting with a Russian banker.

Mike: Wanted to flag you on something. Three of my colleagues are working on a story about the Russia investigation. They're told that Jared Kushner is among the individuals who the F.B.I. is scrutinizing for their meetings with Russians. My colleagues were told that Ambassador Kislyak, after meeting Kushner and General Flynn in early December at Trump Tower, set up a meeting with Kushner and a Russian banker. Kushner ultimately met with the Russian banker. The banker worked for Alpha Bank. Thanks. Mike

Astute observers will note that Michael Kortan's actual jo b was to respond to press inquiries just like this one, and that Schmidt was doing bog-standard due diligence by asking Kortan to confirm or deny details of a then-pending FBI investigation. But in the fevered wingnut imagination, this is proof that nefarious Times reporter "fed information about Jared Kushner meeting with Russians to the FBI."

Examiner reporter Daniel Chaitin is less clear on why the FBI would need someone from the Times to inform them about a pending investigation IN THEIR OWN SHOP. In Chaitin's version of events, Lisa Page only learned of the pending FBI investigation of Kushner's many Russian contacts when Kortan forwarded her Schmidt's email.

Oh, great, the nation's foremost legal opinion haver has weighed in.

"False stories?" But Kushner was the subject of a pending investigation of meetings with the .... ah, fuck it.

But wait, there's more! Having reported out the story more fully, the Times reached back out to Kortan in April to give the Bureau another chance to comment before they went to press. And that is further proof that the FBI involved in a DEEP STATE conspiracy against Donald Trump, rather than, say, finding out what the media had so they could prepare for the upcoming story.

The editing is nearing completion and we have one last shot to hear what the end result is. Do you have time later today or tomorrow that is convenient for a listening session? Likely by phone in Mike's office. Let me know. Thanks!

Chaitin is currently getting dragged by every serious reporter on Twitter. As he so rightly deserves!

But simmer down, haters, because Daniel Chaitin has a perfectly serious response, and it is HOW CAN THIS BE A QUESTION WITHOUT A QUESTION MARK, HENGHHHHH?

Fair criticism. Not going to fight it. The story does show, however, that it doesn't appear Mike asked a question (… https: //t.co/la9yx8ZES7

— Daniel Chaitin (@Daniel Chaitin) 1561125754.0 

Yes, an actual adult man who is allowed to vote and drive and order a beer at happy hour is arguing with a straight face that missing punctuation proves a conspiracy between the media and the FBI to frame Donald Trump.

JIMINY FUCKIN' CHRISTMAS.

[ WashEx ]

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