Attorney General Eric Holder was roundly pummeled on social media this afternoon for offering to meet with Washington, D.C., bureau chiefs in a special off-the-record meeting — an offer that was all too easy to refuse. Holder and his boss are fond of clamming up so as not to interfere with ongoing investigations, so there was delicious irony in the New York Times turning down a meeting with Holder, who’s currently investigating himself.
Times executive editor Jill Abramson sent her regrets, saying, “It isn’t appropriate for us to attend an off the record meeting with the attorney general. Our Washington bureau is aggressively covering the department’s handling of leak investigations at this time. Evidently, there will be a future session with department officials on the substance of how the law should be applied in leak cases and I am hopeful that our counsel, David McCraw, will be able to participate in that meeting.” In other words, talk to our lawyer.
The Associated Press, already under investigation by the Justice Department, also declined to attend because of the condition that the meeting be off the record. Ditto for the Huffington Post. So, how many boxes of “please-don’t-report-on-this” donuts does Holder need to order? Two should do it, as the Washington Post and Politico seem to have taken the bait.
POLITICO *will* attend DOJ meeting http://t.co/9hBcsVAdmc via @POLITICO
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) May 29, 2013
https://twitter.com/NathanWurtzel/status/339880875732893696
Dear #WAPO: Real journalist would not attend an 'off-the-record' mtg with #Holder.
— Seth M I Hiles (@WordMarvin) May 30, 2013
@politico An OTR meeting with Holder will make future reporting re: DOJ or Holder suspect. This is a time when transparency is paramount.
— Jo Elmore (@osumom311) May 30, 2013
Sure sounds like WaPo editor is okay with Holder’s off-the-record demand http://t.co/3cWf9m0u0Q
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 29, 2013
"Why yes, I'd be happy to attend a closed door meeting where you get to inform me what my rights are". – @washingtonpost, @politico
— American Journalists Publish Chinese Propaganda (@JohnEkdahl) May 30, 2013
https://twitter.com/Matthops82/status/339898431675985920
If WaPo/Politico didn't go, poor Holder would've been left sitting all alone w/ tears down his face. "THEY'RE ALL CO-CONSPIRATORS! MUHAHA!"
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) May 30, 2013
Can't wait to read the identical contrite/remorseful Eric Holder stories in @washingtonpost and @politico.
— American Journalists Publish Chinese Propaganda (@JohnEkdahl) May 30, 2013
So if @washingtonpost and @politico leak details from the Holder meeting, are they co-conspirators against @AP and @JamesRosenFNC?
— The H2 (@TheH2) May 30, 2013
. @washingtonpost @politico put lips together & blow RT @JohnRLottJr: Holder quickly (cont) http://t.co/ZL5OGCl5Vh
— BarbaraMcMahon((?)) (@southsalem) May 30, 2013
What if no one shows up to Holder's "OTR" meeting? Better yet, what if all cancel and Holder has to explain why he targeted Fox to Fox! haha
— ?? ERIC BOLLING ?? (@ericbolling) May 30, 2013
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