Last week, the New York Times’ Bret Stephens tweeted about an article in Haaretz stating that according to a Kuwaiti report, the Obama administration warned Iran about an Israeli plan to assassinate Iranian General Qassem Soleimani:
The story here, Kuwaiti-sourced, is that Obama team tipped Tehran to an Israeli attempt to assassinate Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general who has the blood of hundreds of American troops in his hand. What says @brhodes? https://t.co/sf5PYp4mq5
— Bret Stephens (@BretStephensNYT) January 3, 2018
A couple of days ago, Ben Rhodes — whose history with regard to Iran is, shall we say, highly problematic — got wind of Stephens’ tweet and, well, he was pretty pissed:
I missed this but it is outrageous to suggest this – just jaw-dropping that a NYT columnist would propagate this kind of garbage. https://t.co/w92y1Db7p6
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) January 10, 2018
Former Obama NSC spokesman Tommy “Dude” Vietor was pissed, too:
Yeah WTF Ben? Immediately confirm or deny this totally unsubstantiated claim and then tell us why you don't support assassinations.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) January 10, 2018
What followed was a heated back-and-forth between Stephens and Vietor. The Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra documented the exchange:
SHOCK: Former Obama Official Hints Admin Warned Terrorist That Israel Was Going To Assassinate Him https://t.co/xwPNUSygFu
— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) January 11, 2018
And also suggested that this tweet from Tommy Vietor confirmed the Kuwaiti report:
We were well aware of the dangers posed by QS and the IRGC. Obama sanctioned them repeatedly, among other deterrents. But an assassination of QS by Israel would be destabilizing to put it mildly.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) January 10, 2018
Bret Stephens thought that’s what Vietor was doing:
So did you alert Iran to the Israeli surveillance and potential attempt, @TVietor08? It sounds like you are confirming the story. https://t.co/JwhLFNoaXF
— Bret Stephens (@BretStephensNYT) January 10, 2018
Today, the fight continued:
I didn't work in the White House three years ago, but Ben did and he already denied it. Regardless, you could've tried to confirm this without spreading the lie via Twitter. Good to see you're bringing the same intellectual rigor you apply to climate change to national security.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) January 11, 2018
Good, because all my original tweet did was ask a question based on a story that had been picked up by Haaretz, a reputable paper. What we’ve established as fact is (a) you think an Iranian terrorist mastermind is a “politician,” and (b) you’re an asshole. https://t.co/lWn1Mhy7XT
— Bret Stephens (@BretStephensNYT) January 11, 2018
Well, anyway, needless to say, Vietor wasn’t too pleased with the Daily Wire, either. He took a pretty nasty swipe at editor in chief Ben Shapiro:
Steve Bannon protege @benshapiro should be embarrassed to have published this. At no point did I confirm this story. I didn’t even work at the White House when it is alleged to have happened. This is why Breitbart was garbage before Bannon made it Nazi garbage. https://t.co/HOpsEZqPgq
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) January 11, 2018
Get him, Tommy!
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) January 11, 2018
What a little shit
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) January 11, 2018
If Vietor thinks the Daily Wire unfairly characterized his tweet, that’s one thing. Though, let’s face it: When it comes to Iran, the Obama administration’s record is decidedly less than sterling.
1. Tehran Tommy did not deny story, if you read through the exchange.
2. Where Tehran Tommy worked at that moment makes little difference.
3. Tehran Tommy apparently has no sense of the history between Shapiro and Bannon. https://t.co/xBm78HmDUt
— Nathan Wurtzel (@NathanWurtzel) January 11, 2018
Exactly. Characterizing Ben Shapiro as a “Steve Bannon protégé” is a pretty crappy — not to mention desperate and juvenile — tactic. And it’s pretty damn unfair, too.
Of all the Steve Bannon proteges, @benshapiro is the most infamous
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) January 11, 2018
Wow, shocking new image of Bannon protege @benshapiro following in the footsteps of his master pic.twitter.com/M8JHtoct7f
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) January 11, 2018
Snort! But really, Tommy’s out of his mind. As Ben Shapiro so succinctly points out:
Our story is an accurate telling of your exchange with Bret Stephens. Please point out the falsehood. I’ll point out one of yours: calling me a Bannon protege is absolutely batshit insane. https://t.co/5dQs0DGPQQ
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) January 11, 2018
Yep.
I’ve been waiting for this reply! pic.twitter.com/sekSNqXWqI
— Ogles (@mdoglesbee) January 11, 2018
There was more:
Suggesting i confirmed the original story is ludicrous. I didn’t even work at the White House at that time. You don’t want to be compared to Bannon then don’t emulate his journalistic standards.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) January 11, 2018
You defended the Obama administration not by denying the story but by saying Israel shouldn’t have touched the head of the Quds force.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) January 11, 2018
It’s pretty simple: Tommy brought a knife to an intellectual gunfight. And he lost — BIG TIME.
You’re a stupid human being. @benshapiro was a protege of Andrew Breitbart, NOT Steve Bannon. At least get your facts straight before tweeting. https://t.co/Q6nYJu7eo0
— Elliott Hamilton (@ElliottRHams) January 11, 2018
The only problem is your credibility, since nobody has been more of a Bannon critic than @benshapiro. Nice try “dude.” https://t.co/7ZjigVOzWK
— Black Labrador (@AntiqueSully) January 11, 2018
@benshapiro is in no way, shape, or form a "Steve Bannon protege" and if you're going to demand someone get their facts right, perhaps you should go first. https://t.co/NFJoIkeFae
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) January 11, 2018
That’s good advice, Tommy.
There are plenty of Obama hacks that I dislike, but are at least marginally qualified people. Tommy Vietor isn't one of them.
— neontaster ? (@neontaster) January 11, 2018
Shut up and drive the van, boy. https://t.co/KKUTdwS5DV pic.twitter.com/OQdFMb3xTI
— Jim Treacher is a dumb pseudonym (@jtLOL) January 11, 2018
***
Update:
For those wondering about Bret Stephens’ since-deleted tweet at Tommy Vietor:
Bret Stephens seems to have deleted his tweet calling Tommy Vietor "an asshole." https://t.co/MXEITFWqxN pic.twitter.com/LZL19gHWgH
— Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) January 11, 2018
Here’s what happened:
NYT spox: "We agree that this tweet was inappropriate and it has since been deleted by Bret, who regrets he sent it."
— Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) January 11, 2018
OK, but:
<Narrator Voice> But that "dude" is an asshole. https://t.co/EzgiybVZLO
— Blame Big Government (@BlameBigGovt) January 11, 2018
Heh.