NY Times Editor Dean Baquet Responds to Latest Project Veritas Videos
DRIVING THE DAY
RUSSIA-UKRAINE LATEST …
- IN THE WEST: The U.S., EU and G-7 countries are revoking “most favored nation” trade status for Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. President JOE BIDEN will announce the move today, per the AP.
- IN RUSSIA: As he faces down sanctions that are bruising the Russian economy, President VLADIMIR PUTIN on Thursday “opened the door to nationalizing the assets of Western companies pulling out of Russia and exhorted senior officials to ‘act decisively’ to preserve jobs,” per NYT’s Anton Troianovski. In response, White House press secretary JEN PSAKI warned via Twitter that the move “will ultimately result in even more economic pain for Russia.”
- IN UKRAINE: “Missile strikes were reported overnight in places far from the Russians’ main advance,” per the NYT, including two cities in the country’s western reaches. “Refugees from cities under bombardment have been fleeing to Ukraine’s west believing it was safer,” notes the BBC. As of this morning, the U.N. estimates that the number of refugees from Ukraine has hit 2.5 million.
THE NYT’S PROJECT VERITAS QUAGMIRE — At a Thursday lunch in the New York Times Washington bureau, upset reporters pressed executive editor DEAN BAQUET about a recent sting operation targeting national security reporter MATTHEW ROSENBERG, according to two people present.
Project Veritas, a group that has singled out”,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://www.businessinsider.com/james-okeefe-project-veritas-sting-fails-2017-11″,”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e55f50001″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e55f50002″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}”>singled out journalists and Democrats in undercover operations, posted a pair of videos this week showing Rosenberg divulging details about sensitive newsroom dynamics and disparaging his colleagues. Rosenberg suggested that the media was overhyping the siege on the Capitol on Jan. 6, scoffing at colleagues who were there that day who said they were traumatized, and blasted what he called left-leaning younger Times reporters wrapped up in a “woke” culture influencing coverage.
The videos immediately caused tensions to flare among Times staff, according to more than a half-dozen reporters who were granted anonymity to speak candidly. During the Thursday lunch, multiple reporters said they were upset about Rosenberg dissing their own coverage and badmouthing his coworkers.
Baquet, the Times staffers told us, responded by criticizing Rosenberg for being careless and stupid. But he said that Project Veritas is trying to “make our heads explode” and divide the Times, and that they should not play into the group’s hands.
The Times comms staff declined to comment, and Rosenberg did not respond to requests for comment. But as WaPo’s Jeremy Barr tweeted last night, Baquet has blasted Project Veritas before. In 2017, he chided the group for ensnaring a junior-level employee. While the reporter said “really stupid stuff,” Baquet said at the time, he pinned most of the blame on Project Veritas.
“The greater sin wasn’t his, it was theirs,” he said. “They’re just awful.”
Those comments reflect the mixed feelings over the current situation among many reporters at the Times. While some reporters told us that management needs to address this issue or even want to see Rosenberg punished, there’s deep concern about fueling Project Veritas’ work.
The group has used hidden cameras and/or false identities in an attempt to catch members of the media or Democrats saying embarrassing things. It has recently singled out New York Times reporters who have written about the group’s tactics as well as an ongoing Justice Department investigation over how the group obtained Biden’s daughter ASHLEY’s diary.
Those reporters include ADAM GOLDMAN, MICHAEL SCHMIDT and MARK MAZZETTI.
Project Veritas has also sued the New York Times for defamation.
Many at the Times — even those unhappy with Rosenberg — view the latest Project Veritas hit as an attempt at intimidation. And they’re loath to be seen as reacting to such tactics, which they say have crossed a line into harassment.
Complicating the situation further, the group in the past has released videos that were later found to be selectively edited or misleading. That has led some at the Times to want to give Rosenberg the benefit of the doubt.
– This item was reported and written by Rachael and White House reporter Max Tani.
Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade”,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”mailto:[email protected]”,”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e55f8000a”,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e55f8000b”,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}”>Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels”,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”mailto:[email protected]”,”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e55f8000c”,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e55f8000d”,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}”>Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza”,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”mailto:[email protected]”,”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e55f8000e”,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e55f8000f”,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}”>Ryan Lizza.
FIGHTING FOR UKRAINE ON THE HILL — Even as the U.S. has opposed military intervention in Russia’s war on Ukraine, there’s one group aiming to change that: lobbyists. Or, more precisely, lobbyists for Ukrainian causes. This week, Ryan talks it through with someone who does just that — DANIEL VAJDICH, president of Yorktown Solutions — and gets an insider’s view of how the job has changed since the invasion. Listen and subscribe to Playbook Deep Dive
BIDEN’S FRIDAY:
— 9 a.m.: The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
— 10:15 a.m.: Biden will announce actions against Russia.
— 10:40 a.m.: Biden will depart the White House en route to Philadelphia, where he is scheduled to arrive at 11:45 a.m.
— 12:15 p.m.: Biden will deliver remarks at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference.
— 2:10 p.m.: Biden will tour an elementary school.
— 3:50 p.m.: Biden will depart Philadelphia en route to Camp David.
Deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES will gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Philadelphia.
VP KAMALA HARRIS’ FRIDAY (all times Eastern):
— Earlier today, the VP met with troops from the U.S. and Poland and departed Warsaw en route to Otopeni, Romania.
— 7 a.m.: Harris will participate in an official arrival ceremony with Romanian President KLAUS IOHANNIS.
— 7:40 a.m.: Harris will participate in a bilateral meeting with Iohannis.
— 8:50 a.m.: Harris will participate in a news conference with Iohannis.
— 10:30 a.m.: Harris will meet with staff from the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest at Henri Coanda International Airport.
— 11:10 a.m.: Harris will depart Otopeni to return to D.C.
THE SENATE is in. THE HOUSE is out.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
PLAYBOOK READS
CHECK THIS OUT — POLITICO’s The Recast has named the 40 power players of 2021. From strategists to politicians, activists to influencers, they undeniably made an impact at the intersection of race, politics and policy. Explore the full list here.“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://www.politico.com/interactives/2022/influential-people-on-race-and-politics-list/”,”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e56030000″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e56030001″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}”>Explore the full list here. And don’t forget to post about the list on your socials — you can use #TheRecast40 — or in your group chats.
ALL POLITICS
A NEW HOPE, OR WISHFUL THINKING? — Our David Siders is up with a new story about Democrats seeing a midterm hope in Biden’s recent bounce in the polls — optimism being touted by the president himself. “Biden told a ballroom full of DNC members at a Hilton in Washington, ‘we are in the strongest position we’ve been in in months.’ Democrats, he said, could keep the House. … [W]ith Biden’s poll numbers ticking up in recent days — after his State of the Union and with the country rallying ever so slightly behind his handling of the war in Ukraine — even skeptical Democrats are feeling oddly optimistic that a Biden rebound might last and that the party’s midterm losses might not be so severe.”
FROM THE HOUSE DEMS’ RETREAT — “Bracing for Losses, Democrats Look to Biden for a Reset,””,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/us/politics/democrats-biden-midterms.html”,”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e56050002″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e56050003″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}”>“Bracing for Losses, Democrats Look to Biden for a Reset,” by NYT’s Annie Karni
WHO IS ERIC ADAMS? — Ruby Cramer has a rollicking profile of Adams up this morning. In it, the eccentric NYC mayor deems himself the “face of the Democratic Party,” and Ruby writes that “it’s one of the few labels he is willing to embrace, but there’s no easy way to nail down what it will mean today, tomorrow, or the day after that.” Some highlights:
— Inside Adams’ favorite hangout: “You see him at Zero Bond, the members-only social club in NoHo where the mayor is a regular (though not a paying member). … You want a selfie with Adams at the club? No problem. The other day he was about to take one, holding a Tito’s and soda, when someone interrupted the photo opp: ‘OK, but you gotta take the Tito’s out’ — to make sure the mayor didn’t look bad. But no, Adams said, the Tito’s can stay. ‘Like, why?’ he tells me later. ‘I drink Tito’s and seltzer!’”
— On this “love at first sight” with Biden: “You see [Adams] behind the darkened windows of the presidential motorcade, riding thigh-to-thigh with Joe Biden himself. Sitting in the backseat, Adams felt it was ‘love at first sight.’ That this was a guy who gets it. ‘He pulled out his lunch,’ the mayor says. ‘A peanut butter and jelly sandwich — and he said, “You want half?”’”
— And this reaction from Schumer: “When I reached [Senate Majority Leader] CHUCK SCHUMER to talk about Adams, the New York senator praised the mayor’s confidence and work ethic. … When I asked if he agreed that Adams is the new face of the party, Schumer cut me off before I could finish the question. ‘Yeah, I’m not going to comment on that.’ I asked if there was a reason he was not going to comment on that. ’No,’ he replied, and the call ended moments later.”
CRUZ CRUISES WITH CONVOY — The “People’s Convoy” — the group of truckers protesting protective pandemic measures around the Beltway — received a visit from Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) on Thursday. Cruz dropped in on the group “at the Hagerstown Speedway, telling crowds their voice was being heard,” WaPo’s Ellie Silverman, Karina Elwood, Dana Hedgpeth and Luz Lazo write. “He then boarded a truck and detoured just past noon to head into Washington, where he and convoy organizers called for an end to such mandates.” The convoy’s impact: “Law enforcement authorities in Virginia and Maryland said there have been no major incidents from the convoy’s circling of the Beltway other than some minor congestion.”
PHEW, THIS ONE’S A DOOZY — ELENA BRANSON, aka ELENA CHERNYKH, is a Russian American national who “stands accused of illegally pushing pro-Russia policies in the United States for nearly a decade, at the direction of top Kremlin officials, without registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), according to a criminal complaint federal prosecutors filed this week in the Southern District of New York,” The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger and Shannon Vavra report.
“But, in all her time lobbying for Russian goals, she gave money to just one federal candidate: [former Democratic Hawaii Rep. TULSI] GABBARD. … While the combined total of those donations isn’t colossal by any means — a whopping $59.95 — they do raise questions about why an alleged Russian agent, tasked with currying favor with U.S. politicians, would zero in on Gabbard, and only Gabbard.”
VALLEY TALK
AMAZON’S ‘F-U APPROACH’ — WSJ’s Dana Mattioli has a big read on Amazon’s standing in Biden’s Washington. The conclusion: The mega-company is “facing a multifront battle with the U.S. government — with few allies.” That’s led Amazon execs to deploy a “combative strategy” that has “alienated many of Amazon’s executives in Washington, causing a number of departures at its D.C. offices.” Some highlights:
— JAY CARNEY, the former Biden aide turned policy chief at Amazon, “hasn’t appeared to hold much sway at the White House. Since Mr. Biden’s inauguration, he has visited the White House only once, according to White House visitor logs. … Last year, Mr. Carney directed a frustrated message at [RON] KLAIN, the White House chief of staff, after Mr. Biden hosted the CEOs of Walmart Inc., Gap Inc., Lowe’s Cos. and JPMorgan Chase & Co., said people familiar with the exchange. Amazon wasn’t invited, and Mr. Carney pleaded for Amazon to be considered for future events, the people said. In December, Mr. Carney messaged Mr. Klain questioning him about a Politico article stating that Mr. Biden was embracing Amazon rival Walmart, said one of the people.” ICYMI, the POLITICO article in question, by Hailey Fuchs
— “The public-policy team has a strategy called ‘watering the flowers,’ said the current and former employees. An internal database tracks employee interactions with policy makers, keeping notes on meetings and talking points, to ensure that everyone important for Amazon’s agenda is getting sufficient attention.
“While the D.C. team was metaphorically watering flowers, they complained of Amazon executives in Seattle ‘stomping them out,’ one of the people said. Last March, for example, Amazon’s public-relations account on Twitter posted a series of aggressive tweets directed at the politicians Amazon’s D.C. team meets with. … The tweets departed from the tone of traditional corporate public-relations accounts. Unlike most tweets from Amazon’s news account, these tweets were crafted by executives including [JEFF BEZOS] and Carney, said people at Amazon.”
— “‘Amazon had the biggest middle-finger-to-Congress approach that I’ve ever seen with any company I’ve ever dealt with,’ said GARRETT VENTRY, former chief of staff to Rep. KEN BUCK of Colorado, a ranking Republican member on the Antitrust Subcommittee. Since hiring Mr. Carney, Amazon has expanded its lobbying operations. … Amazon also has built a sizable policy team of employees who once worked at agencies such as the FTC and Congress, many of whom have deep experience navigating the nuances of Washington relationships. But headquarters often marginalized that team’s work, said several current and former employees on Amazon’s public-policy team.”
CONGRESS
SHUTDOWN AVERTED — “Senate gives final OK to $1.5T government funding bill,” by Burgess Everett and Jennifer Scholtes with the latest
GRASSLEY GUMS UP GEARS FOR GARCETTI — Sen. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-Iowa) is throwing up a roadblock on ERIC GARCETTI’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to India. Megan Wilson and Christopher Cadelago scoop that Grassley’s office is probing what the Los Angeles mayor “knew of longtime political adviser and City Hall confidant RICK JACOBS’ inappropriate behavior toward women and men in and around City Hall. They have also spoken to whistleblowers about the matter. And according to a document obtained by POLITICO, they have asked Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL (R-Ky.) to try and halt the nomination until their investigation is concluded.”
JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH
COMMITTEE LATEST — MICHAEL FLYNN pleaded the Fifth during an appearance Thursday before the House’s Jan. 6 committee, his lawyer said. More from ABC“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-adviser-michael-flynn-meets-jan-committee-sources/story?id=83367606″,”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e56080004″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e56080005″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}”>More from ABC
POLICY CORNER
IMMIGRATION FILES — The controversial Trump-era Title 42 border policy could come to an end as soon as next month, according to a draft DHS document that would warn Mexico the change could prompt a surge of immigrants, BuzzFeed’s Hamed Aleaziz reports.
BULKING UP FOR TAX SEASON — The IRS said Thursday it plans to “hire 10,000 new workers to help reduce a massive backlog that the government says will make this tax season the most challenging in history,” AP’s Fatima Hussein writes.
AMERICA AND THE WORLD
SANCTIONS GALORE — The Biden administration today will announce new sanctions on North Korea as officials warn of dangerous new missile tests from KIM JONG UN. The U.S., South Korea and Japan have concluded that two recent North Korea launches tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile system. Though U.S. officials have downplayed the danger of North Korean tests as recently as last month, they said the latest news constituted a “serious escalation.” More from CNN“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/10/politics/north-korea-biden-administration/index.html”,”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e5608000a”,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e5608000b”,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}”>More from CNN
WELCOME TO THE PARTY — The U.S. said it would officially recognize Colombia and Qatar as “major non-NATO allies” Thursday as Colombian President IVÁN DUQUE MÁRQUEZ visited the White House. “The designation will give Colombia special access to military and economic programs but does provide security guarantees like those extended to NATO members,” per NBC’s Carmen Sesin.
TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: Sahil Kapur, MJ Lee and Nick Schifrin.
SUNDAY SO FAR …
Gray TV “Full Court Press”: House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) … Franklin Graham.
FOX “Fox News Sunday,” guest-anchored by Bret Baier: Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) … retired Gen. Jack Keane. Panel: Jason Chaffetz, Steve Harrigan, Susan Page and Marie Harf.
MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: German Ambassador Emily Haber … Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) … Max Boot … Ruth Ben-Ghiat … Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen … Gary Locke.
CBS “Face the Nation”: Albert Bourla.
ABC “This Week,” with co-anchor Martha Raddatz reporting from Lviv, Ukraine: Panel: Mary Bruce, Jane Coaston, George Will and Heidi Heitkamp.
CNN “Inside Politics”: Panel: retired Gen. Mark Kimmitt, David Sanger, Julia Ioffe, Rachael Bade, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Margaret Talev.
NBC “Meet the Press”: Panel: Peter Baker, Helene Cooper, Rich Lowry and Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
PLAYBOOKERS
Tucker Carlson delivered the best splitscreen of the night in devoting a segment of his primetime show to discussing spiders with “Billy the Exterminator,” who contrasted Tucker’s suit-tie combo with his own accoutrement that suggested a mix of the Road Warrior and Slash.
Chris Hayes shared his “dream in life”: opening his own sandwich shop. (Honestly, it sounds more fun than hosting a daily TV show.)
Bernie Sanders inveighed against “baseball oligarchs” (aka team owners) as the MLB lockout came to an end.
Madison Cawthorn called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug.”
Lindsey Graham called Madison Cawthorn an “outlier.”
Karen and Mike Pence joined Samaritan’s Purse leader Edward Graham on a visit with Ukrainian refugees along the Polish border.
SPOTTED at ServiceNow’s annual Federal Forum at the Renaissance Hotel on Thursday: Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) and Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), Defense Information Systems Agency Director Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner, retired Gen. Stan McChrystal, Norma Krayem, Geoff Browning, Nichole Francis Reynolds, Nick Tzitzon, Chris Bedi and Keven Haverty.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Thomas Becket Adams is joining the National Journalism Center as program director. He previously was a media and campaign reporter and commentary writer at the Washington Examiner.
TRANSITIONS — Carahna Magwood, Cassidy Geoghegan and Lisa Prandy have joined Bully Pulpit Interactive. Magwood will be a creative director and previously was creative director at the White House. Geoghegan will be associate director and previously was deputy states comms director for the DNC. Prandy will be director of content and previously was a senior digital marketing and content strategist at AARP. …
… Jack Coogan is now a research coordinator at Cygnal. He previously was a finance data analyst for the RNC. … Clark Mica is now president of the Institute of Makers of Explosives. He previously was VP of government relations at the Fertilizer Institute. … Talia Davis is joining Kia Corporation’s D.C. office as manager of branding and comms. She previously was national political programs director at AIPAC.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Liz Crampton, a state policy reporter at POLITICO, and Andrew Bahrenburg, a legislative assistant for Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), welcomed June Lucille Bahrenburg on Feb. 28. Pic“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://static.politico.com/e7/d9/9e21e4044c6cb59f00a2eca9b612/image1-7.jpeg”,”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e560d000d”,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-8870-d301-a3ff-8f7e560d000e”,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}”>Pic
HAPPY BIRTHDAY:Rupert Murdoch (91) … Ben Becker of Precision Strategies … Michael Holley … Claire Burghoff of Cornerstone Government Affairs … Curt Cashour … NBC’s Miguel Almaguer … Perri Peltz … MSNBC’s Christina Arvanites and Erin Clifford … Matt Sobocinski … Joe Quinn of the Aluminum Association … Alice Stewart … DOD’s Jeff Hayes … HHS’ Carrie Pugh … Lauren O’Brien of Sen. Todd Young’s (R-Ind.) office … Suzanne Hammelman … Tim Mack of Rep. Madeleine Dean’s (D-Pa.) office … Amy Weiss of Weiss Public Affairs … Nikki Budzinski … Libby Marking of the National Audubon Society … CNN’s Emily Riley … Micaela Rodríguez … Jon Cohen of Momentive … former Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (6-0) … Sam Donaldson … former Interior Secretary Gale Norton
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