Real news alert:
Pres Trump out to dinner at Trump Hotel in DC. Daughter Ivanka seen too.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 26, 2017
There were rumblings of a major Trump scandal back in December, when ThinkProgress broke the news that members of the president-elect’s team had pressured the Embassy of Kuwait to cancel its existing plans for its National Day celebration and rebook the event at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Other outlets picked up on the story, but it died pretty quickly when Kuwait’s ambassador said no one had been in contact with him, and he simply thought “it would be exciting for our guests to see a new venue.”
The original date of the event was Feb. 25 — tonight! — and Judd Legum of ThinkProgress hadn’t forgotten about the story, particularly after Reuters revived it earlier in the day.
Kuwait could pay up to $60,000 for party at Trump Hotel in Washington https://t.co/HwESCFqLWP pic.twitter.com/giZ6L9PvKS
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 26, 2017
Not to mention, the president’s motorcade took off without notice Saturday night and ended up at the hotel. Legum’s Twitter thread, in short, went like this:
https://twitter.com/ProPublica/status/835675939786866689
Trump didn’t allow press inside the hotel, a fact which is now serving as Backup Scandal No. 1 (it’s a federal building on lease from the government), but pictures from inside showed the president dining with his daughter and a few others.
Here’s something reporters might want to look at before running with the Kuwait scandal.
guys the Kuwait party at @TrumpDC was Wednesday night. I actually have the invite so. Unless there were two, but probs not. @Reuters ? pic.twitter.com/vybBcwmzqn
— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) February 26, 2017
So, what Kate Bennett is saying is that Trump set up an entirely separate decoy party earlier in the week to throw off the press … right?
Serves us all right for swallowing Judd Legum bullshit https://t.co/bIYHbzCl57
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) February 26, 2017
corrected my thread and deleted the tweets that were wrong. was going by the Reuters story
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 26, 2017
I deleted my tweet about Kuwait party at Trump hotel because it's unclear whether reported event is taking place. Kuwait had a party on Wed.
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) February 26, 2017
I saved it for you so you can correct it to the hundreds who already RTd it. I'm just helpful that way. @PhilipRucker pic.twitter.com/3gb9ZlYdgL
— Swalwell Farted on TV and It Was Hilarious (@lamblock) February 26, 2017
@BradMossEsq allegedly he is at dinner there with Ivanka and Rick Scott how fabulous?
— SassyGirl914 (@ToniC8) February 26, 2017
Anyone actually inside the Trump hotel in DC right now?
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) February 26, 2017
At Trump hotel. Secret Service swarms the place. Trump walks in, sits down next to me w/ Gov. Rick Scott, Nigel Farage, Ivanka & Kuchner pic.twitter.com/5ZgTUixvwR
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) February 26, 2017
https://twitter.com/digiphile/status/835681725296541701
https://twitter.com/digiphile/status/835686314041311233
This is what happened to me. sorry for taking people down the wrong road for a bit
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 26, 2017
https://twitter.com/digiphile/status/835687865082396672
So, it’s the fault of Reuters and NPR for misreporting … what? Neither the party nor dinner out would have interested the press if it hadn’t been for the promise of a reported scandal coming true.
you guys have to get control. When you push stuff like this it discredits everything you do
— CPrice (@CPriceDenver) February 26, 2017
really need to slow down and get the facts straight. This sloppiness is not helpful.
— Chappy (@ChappyHalifax) February 26, 2017
wonder why #fakenews ?
— ✈️SHAWN?? (@shawnurban3) February 26, 2017
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