It was really no surprise that most of the journalists sharing a campaign plane with Hillary Clinton in 2016 were coddling her, certain they were traveling with the next president of the United States.
And then came Wikileaks’ dump of John Podesta’s emails, which more explicitly spelled out which journalists were open to “fact-checking” before publication and which reporters could be relied on to consistently “tee-up” stories the campaign wanted out there in print.
Attorney and forthcoming author James Hasson has put together a great thread reminding us just how many journalists were straight-up coordinating with the Clinton campaign in 2016, and who will likely be doing to the same for the 2020 nominee.
This thread is a home run. So absurdly damning. https://t.co/E9Lw36gYoR
— David Reaboi (@davereaboi) August 18, 2019
Check it out:
A timely reminder that in 2016, several major journalists were revealed to be explicitly coordinating with the Clinton campaign or—at the very least—favoring it and working closely with it. None suffered consequences. These folks will help shape 2020 coverage.
A review: 1/ https://t.co/NZBBQZXbI7
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) August 18, 2019
WaPo columnist Dana Milbank, who recently accused Mitch McConnell of being a Russian asset ("Moscow Mitch"), apparently asked the DNC in 2016 for oppo research on Trump. 2/ https://t.co/AnIIxjf2S8
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) August 18, 2019
Glenn Thrush, then with Politico and now with the NYT, sent John Podesta a story for approval, asking "can I send u a couple of grafs OTR [off the record] to make sure I'm not fucking anything up?" 3/https://t.co/kLrZDpYHIF
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) August 18, 2019
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Thrush even called himself a “hack” in the email and asked Podesta to please not share or tell anyone he did it.
Thrush also told Podesta "because I have become a hack I will send u the whole section that pertains to u," and said,"please don't share or tell anyone I did this." 4/
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) August 18, 2019
And then there's John Harwood of CNBC, who consistently tweets misleading and critical takes on the economy. Harwood's exchanges with Podesta included gloating about his questions at a 2015 GOP primary debate, among many others 5/ https://t.co/v5MbbQN2tohttps://t.co/wT1fA8qwxu pic.twitter.com/RNnfenkCAJ
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) August 18, 2019
And that’s why the RNC won’t be inviting John Harwood to moderate any more debates, thanks very much. Ahem:
A reminder that John Harwood was allowed to moderate a GOP primary debate. https://t.co/iKHEgVYuGy – pic.twitter.com/o14LqlQAnL
— Jimmy (@JimmyPrinceton) November 6, 2016
Mark Leibovitch, the Chief National Correspondent for NYT Magazine, told HRC aide Jennifer Palmieri she could "veto whatever [she] didn't want" before he published a story titled "Re-Re-Re-Reintroducing Hillary Clinton." He cut parts she objected to. 6/ https://t.co/OKbbhjkSt0
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) August 18, 2019
Ken Vogel sent the DNC Communications Director an article about the HRC campaign's fundraising ahead of time, "as long as [the director] didn't share it." Politico acknowledged that doing so was "a mistake." 7/ https://t.co/KsNKUdJgjd
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) August 18, 2019
And of course, Maggie Haberman—then with Politico and now with the NYT—was singled out by HRC spokesman Nick Merrill as a "friendly journalist" who was "safe" and had "teed up stories" for the campaign in the past and "never disappointed" them. 8/https://t.co/V5UhDVMMGC
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) August 18, 2019
I'm sure there are many other examples, but these are just a few.
In short, it's hard to dismiss accusations of media bias when a number of prominent journos at major organizations actively worked with a Dem campaign in 2016 but are still on the 2020 beat. 9/
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) August 18, 2019
Whether you like Trump or hate him, things like this are a stain on the journalism industry. And they're a prime example of why half of the country doesn't trust what they hear from major media outlets. Trump didn't create distrust in media, he exploited it. /fin
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) August 18, 2019
And like the New York Times’ executive editor has said, the Mueller report was a dud, so now it’s time to pivot to Trump’s white supremacy. The narrative’s already written — all the Democrat candidates have to do is run with it.
They didn’t even suffer consequences from the Republicans they were working against. All those orgs were at CPAC, they all get big R interviews, etc. If conservatives still treat them as good faith actors after all that, why wouldn’t anybody else?
— Helsingor (@Helsingor) August 18, 2019
Not even bias explains the NYT. It's major league incompetence.
— The Hef (@GatewayHef) August 18, 2019
Great thread. Better reminder.
— Boondock saint (@Boondoc80852347) August 19, 2019
Donna Brazil
— sk (@pickles_couger) August 19, 2019
Oh yeah, we’d forgotten about her.
And anti-Trump hater and DNC cheater, Donna Brazile, was hired on FOX to be an opinionator. Apparently, if you are a disgraced left-winger, FOX will hire you. I guess there is no such thing as being "disgraced" when one is a liberal.
— Cincinnati Sage (@CincinnatiSage) August 18, 2019
Yeah, expect more of the same this time around. It would be nice if this reminder would inspire Republicans to change things, or at least take President Trump a little more seriously when he calls “fake news” the “enemy of the people.”
Related:
RNC 'suspends our partnership' with NBC News for February debate; Network responds https://t.co/ERzFfvgd9s
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) October 30, 2015
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