The NYT’s Maggie Haberman invented a conspiracy theory this morning after President Trump tweeted about “Really Good Jobs Numbers!” Haberman questioned if he got an “advance look at the numbers out….tomorrow” and if he’s trying “to spin them ahead of time, which is deeply questionable as an action by a president”:
Did potus get an advance look at numbers out….tomorrow? And try to spin them ahead of time, which is deeply questionable as an action by a president? https://t.co/WHuXe0A3zx
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) September 5, 2019
Trump’s tweet was sent at 9:40 AM:
Really Good Jobs Numbers!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2019
And, yes, the BLS will release the jobs numbers tomorrow, but. . .
The August 2019 jobs report isn't scheduled to be released by the @BLS_gov until tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m. PST. We'll have the numbers on @KATUNews This Morning on Friday… https://t.co/37oQc2dgfB
— Evan Schreiber (@SchreiberEvan) September 5, 2019
. . .there was an ADP report out today that said “Private Sector Employment Increased by 195,000 Jobs in August”:
Or – perhaps he was quoting the ADP employment report… https://t.co/8gYzsBKFmC https://t.co/1k605uGOSq
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) September 5, 2019
Trump’s crime may have been believing the MSM? FWIW, this tweet was sent at 8:47 AM, long before the president’s tweet above:
The private sector added 195,000 jobs in August, blowing past economists' expectations of 140,000. https://t.co/mHx0fj9Jq9
— Axios (@axios) September 5, 2019
Haberman wasn’t the only one accusing the president of something improper:
.@stevenmnuchin1 is the president leaking BLS info again? https://t.co/A7TIQuzxKA
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) September 5, 2019
"Except for members of the staff of the agency issuing the principal economic indicator who have been designated by the agency…employees of the Executive Branch shall not comment publicly on the data until at least one hour after the official release." https://t.co/6MlaMQ6k15 https://t.co/nBJxjWrvVv
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) September 5, 2019
How sure are we that he is pre-spinning BLS numbers? https://t.co/UvJTwY2V5Z
— Sam Stein (@samstein) September 5, 2019
Trump just broke a federal rule:
"agencies shall ensure that no information or data estimates are released before the official
release time.. Executive Branch shall not comment publicly on the data until at least one hour after the official release time." https://t.co/3tlTXm1Qpc https://t.co/g8X3jctVgH— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) September 5, 2019
It is against protocol for the president to preview the jobs report before its release.
It raises issues of possible insider trading.https://t.co/MnMw0A24Pi https://t.co/XlhmV3mtWT
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) September 5, 2019
They really can’t help themselves.
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