The Washington Post is officially on Trump’s radar and takes over as his number one most-hated news outlet.
After one reporter “leaked” family information that was told off the record then teamed up with another reporter for a scathing op-ed that characterized the last three months as the “lost summer,” Trump ripped both the reporters and the paper on Twitter…
The Washington Post’s @PhilipRucker (Mr. Off the Record) & @AshleyRParker, two nasty lightweight reporters, shouldn’t even be allowed on the grounds of the White House because their reporting is so DISGUSTING & FAKE. Also, add the appointment of MANY Federal Judges this Summer! https://t.co/7d33tzKxXq
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019
Trump on the Attack
The reporters in question are Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker.
Rucker is the reporter that had attended the dinner with Westerhout when she got a little loose with her lips after a few cocktails.
After the op-ed from Parker and Rucker came out, the White House went into attack mode.
According to the article, inside anonymous sources were cited stating that this summer has been “defined by self-inflicted controversies and squandered opportunities.”
To an extent, that claim is true, as Trump on several occasions got himself into trouble with tweets or statements at times Joe Biden was open for an attack.
I would hardly call it a completely lost summer, though. A better characterization would be missteps, as the administration made some great advancements in several areas over the last several months.
After Trump blistered both reporters and the publication, the Washington Post defended the article and the journalists.
Prior to that article coming out, the Post had defended Rucker, stating that he “has always acted with the utmost honor and integrity and has never violated Washington Post standards or policies.”
Well, if the conversation with Westerhout was off the record and he leaked those comments, what types of standards does the publication have?
You can bet nobody will ever speak to Rucker “off the record” again.
In regard to Trump blasting the op-ed, Executive Editor Martin Baton stated, “The Washington Post is immensely proud to have these two superb journalists on staff.
“Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker have consistently demonstrated their integrity in covering the White House.
“We stand fully behind them and their important work.
“The president’s statement fits into a pattern of seeking to denigrate and intimidate the press.
“It’s unwarranted and dangerous, and it represents a threat to a free press in this country.”
Several Trump staff members also blasted the Post for the op-ed.
Stephanie Grisham and Hogan Gidley teamed up to write their own op-ed in the Washington Examiner to refute the claims by the Post.
They called the piece by Rucker and Parker “an offensive, egregious affront to true news journalism.
They would go on to say, “From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Post had some pretty embarrassing moments.
“Whether it was incorrectly stating that presidents do not deliver remarks on the Fourth of July, ignoring speeches by Presidents Reagan, Kennedy, and Obama, or being called out for shoddy, politically motivated fact-checking, the Post’s lost summer culminated with a fateful day in August when it was forced to issue 15 corrections to a single article.”
Now that the Post has Trump’s attention, you can bet he will be watching them like a hawk to pounce at their next misstep.
Source: Fox News
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