'This isn't journalism': Charles C.W. Cooke BLASTS single-sourced NBC News report on Kennedy-WH/Trump negotiation for Kavanaugh

Well, this certainly has lefty feathers all ruffled up.

According to a single anonymous source, NBC News is reporting that Justice Kennedy struck a deal with the White House to ensure Brett Kavanaugh was the pick before he retired last month:

https://twitter.com/GeoffRBennett/status/1016642192616706050

Great journalism you got there, NBC News. From NRO’s Charles C.W. Cooke:

If journalists don’t want to be criticized, they shouldn’t allow themselves to be as a laundry service for political rumor-mongering. https://t.co/Zi9ujp8UA7

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 10, 2018

From Cooke:

At best, this is extraordinarily irresponsible. At worse, it is malicious. Since Trump won the election, our national conversation has been marked by this approach: First, a “journalist” will present an exciting story as fact; then, to rile up the reader, they will inject some high-octane editorializing — perhaps an “in other words . . .” or a “this is not normal” or an “in 2018!”; and, finally, they will present the real story — or, in this case, admit that they are relying on “one source” and don’t actually “have any info” on whether it’s true or not. And then they will sit back and watch the initial claim go viral, and, if they are called on it they will refer their critics to the caveat they added afterwards.

And as Cooke points out, the reporter behind the rumor has no confirmation that any meeting even happened between Kennedy and the president:

To be clear: This is from one source and dont have any info on whether potus talked to kennedy about a possible replacement.

— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) July 10, 2018

Trump & Kennedy were negotiating over whether:

(a) Kennedy would retire and
(b) if Kennedy would get his preferred successor (Kavanaugh) while
(c) Kennedy was deciding whether to hold Trump's professed motives for the #MuslimBan against him.

That is NOT ETHICAL BEHAVIOR! https://t.co/xKI9gHwMkl

— Jeff Hauser (@jeffhauser) July 10, 2018

And here’s Neera Tanden turning the conspiracy theory up to 11:

Repeating an utterly baseless fever-swamp conspiracy theory that has been widely debunked. Embarrassing. Prestigious Sunday shows should think twice before inviting back a remorseless peddler of Alex Jonesian garbage. #KennedyFakedTheMoonLanding https://t.co/yVJLAYpfti

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) July 10, 2018

Oh, and by the way, the experts at @SCOUTSblog declare the NBC rumor is “almost certainly false”:

The story that Justice Kennedy negotiated for months and retired only when he had an agreement that the President would nominate Kavanaugh as his replacement is almost certainly false.

— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) July 10, 2018

See help, people.

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It's a PLOT! Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez thinks she knows WHY Trump REALLY nominated #Kavanaugh and ROFL https://t.co/JRcSHoebko

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 10, 2018

HAHAHA! Michael Moore has a new reason to oppose Brett Kavanaugh and it has to do with 'Bill Clinton's semen' (literally) https://t.co/GvObtNEwWS

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 10, 2018

ISLAMOPHOBE –> Ron Perlman claims Kavanaugh SCOTUS nomination will lead U.S. to Sharia Law (ha!) https://t.co/lQco6DOP7J

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 10, 2018

Well THIS is just SAD! Lefty PAC SO DESPERATE to oppose Trump's #ScotusPick they 'misgender' Kavanaugh https://t.co/ZAwKLVtybd

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 10, 2018