The New York Times has been excoriated after publishing new allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh only to later add a bombshell update that undercuts the entire piece.
The Saturday evening report was adapted from an upcoming book by reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly titled The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation, due out this week.
Their report details an alleged incident that occurred during Kavanaugh’s time at Yale University. One of his classmates, Max Stier, said he witnessed Kavanaugh make inappropriate sexual contact with a female student.
In the updated version of the article, the following passage was added, “The female student declined to be interviewed and friends say she does not recall the episode.”
“An earlier version of this article, which was adapted from a forthcoming book, did not include one element of the book’s account regarding an assertion by a Yale classmate that friends of Brett Kavanaugh pushed his penis into the hand of a female student at a drunken dorm party. The book reports that the female student declined to be interviewed and friends say that she does not recall the incident. That information has been added to the article,” it continued.
The update, which many viewed as evidence that exonerates Kavanaugh, caused significant blowback for the outlet.
Kavanaugh faced similar allegations during the lead up to his confirmation to the Supreme Court. Three separate allegations became public during that time period. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in 1982, testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as did Kavanaugh.
How did the @nytimes editors fail to include the below info in their article re: Kavanuagh? Would they have done so had @MZHemingway not noted the glaring omission yesterday? It was a stunning decision to leave that central fact out of an article filled with damning accusations. pic.twitter.com/ldlTYmqcTt
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) September 16, 2019
Fun game to play today:
Note every journo that was breathlessly tweeting yesterday about how Kavanaugh is clearly guilty
And see how many of them mention today the correction the New York Times posted
Lets you know how many of these clowns are activists, not reporters pic.twitter.com/AphNJoRLNJ
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) September 16, 2019
How much systematic failure at @nytimes results in Epstein story completely whiffed, Kavanaugh story whiffed again and again, Trump rape allegations published in the Book review section.. Abysmal tweets again and again = tip of iceberg.
— Laura Packard (@lpackard) September 15, 2019
How much systematic failure at @nytimes results in Epstein story completely whiffed, Kavanaugh story whiffed again and again, Trump rape allegations published in the Book review section.. Abysmal tweets again and again = tip of iceberg.
— Laura Packard (@lpackard) September 15, 2019
In other words, Brett Kavanaugh should be presumed guilty, and any evidence to the contrary will be withheld from NYT readers. https://t.co/tPQvbvuZp4
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 16, 2019
One can argue that the failure to remember, given her intoxication, is not dispositive.
One can’t argue, however, that that fact didn’t need to be in the Kavanaugh story from the outset. https://t.co/Rp863nISWF pic.twitter.com/m9HaM3B9PT
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) September 16, 2019
The New York Times has 1600 journalists, and yet it immolates its credibility on a stumbling block so large, its entire story is now a farce
The only realistic explanation for this is they are activists who loathe Kavanaugh https://t.co/cwcwGRRAge
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) September 16, 2019
Summary of what the New York Times pulled this weekend:
HEADLINE: KAVANAUGH ASSAULTED ANOTHER WOMAN
**watches story trend on twitter**
**watches story headline news for 24 hours**
quiet update: she actually never recalls being assaulted and declined interview …oopsie?♂️
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) September 16, 2019
New Kavanaugh allegation:
– Alleged victim has no recollection of incident
– Guy making allegation, Max Stier, defended Bill Clinton for exposing himself
– IMHO is a reprehensible preemptive false smear because of Ginsburg’s health issues
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) September 16, 2019
