One of the major joys for a liberal journalist covering the Trump White House is arguably when they get a leak that can embarrass the administration. They’re such an integral part of their strategy against Trump that “anonymous sources” are key to many of their major stores. And despite some of their faulty information, they are praised and defended. That was true during Sunday’s Reliable Sources on CNN when Baltimore-Sun media critic David Zurawik called them “true patriots.”
Zurawik’s long-winded rant was teed up by host Brian Stelter who wondered:
I think some viewers have a gnawing sense that these leakers, that these aides who whoever they are inside the White House or government, that they are trying to protect the country from Trump … Do you feel there is any legitimacy to that argument?
“Well, Brian, I think certainly if you listen to some members of the intelligence community and former members of the intelligence community, even on cable TV talk shows, there is a sense of that,” Zurawik agreed, saying, “he treats everybody so badly.”
Though he was clearly glorifying agents who were trying to undermine a democratically elected president, Zurawik mocked the idea of a so-called “deep state” and touted their efforts. “But members of the intelligence community who are true patriots,” he loudly declared before adding:
There are people in the State Department who have done this for this country, and they see this guy with his helter-skelter crazy “I watching cable TV” style of management leading this country, what some people see in a direction that's going to take it off the rails.
“It's not a cowardly thing to do, it’s a courageous thing in some cases,” Zurawik asserted. “But those leaks are important to us. Right now, they are one of the most important elements of this democracy I believe…” He then praised the White House reporters who had to make heads or tails of the leaks because the information would change so rapidly.
Stelter then teed up New York magazine’s Washington Correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi by looking to an apparent text message he received from his father-in-law reminding him “they’re not leakers. They’re whistleblowers!”
Nuzzi was more cautious about flatly praising leakers as Zurawik did, noting:
I don’t think it's as simple as we’re making it sound. Not all are patriots and trying to help the country and they are doing something courageous. Some leakers are just gossips. Some leakers are just want to feel important by giving reporters information.
“Don’t get me wrong, I'm all for that. I'm very pro-leak whatever the reason for the leak,” she caught herself.
In other words, she and the rest of the liberal media are very pro-whatever can make the current occupant of the White House look bad no matter the source or the reason.
Transcript below, click expand to read:
CNN
Reliable Sources
March 26, 2018
11:16:25 PM Eastern(…)
BRIAN STELTER: You know, David Zurawik, I think some viewers have a gnawing sense that these leakers, that these aides who whoever they are inside the White House or government, that they are trying to protect the country from Trump. I know those are pretty bold words, but we’ve heard this time and time again since inauguration day. That leakers are trying to protect the country from the President. Do you feel there is any legitimacy to that argument?
DAVID ZURAWIK: Well, Brian, I think certainly if you listen to some members of the intelligence community and former members of the intelligence community, even on cable TV talk shows, there is a sense of that. And look, Olivia used the word debased for being a lawyer for Trump. I think he treats everybody so badly. Look, he tells us he’s the world’s greatest CEO; He’s doing a terrible job of setting up a team after 14-15 months, with all these leaks. He is terrible at managing this.
But worse, I think there are people and, you know, he would say it's the deep state I would suppose. But members of the intelligence community who are true patriots, who have gone foreign places and put their lives on the line for this country, there are people in the State Department who have done this for this country, and they see this guy with his helter-skelter crazy “I watching cable TV” style of management leading this country, what some people see in a direction that's going to take it off the rails. And they feel they have to act.
And in that sense, a leak is a pretty innocuous and safe way to do it. Although, there is great danger for people who leak too. It's not cowardly thing to do, it’s a courageous thing in some cases. Yes, I absolutely think that members of the Washington -- I suppose he would call it the swamp.
Although I don't know if they got that from Cambridge Analytica, or if he really believes there is a swamp if you look at the kind of people he’s bringing into his administration.
But those leaks are important to us. Right now, they are one of the most important elements of this democracy I believe, and God bless the journalists like the two Washington correspondents we have who have to figure out who they can trust in this crazy White House. You know, these with people who say one thing at 10:00 in the morning and another thing at 10:00 at night. You go to press with that and you can be in trouble. I think the press should be praised for what it's doing. The people who are working these leaks for us.
STELTER: I love the real-time viewer feedback. Here's the feedback from my father-in-law, okay? He says, “Brian, they’re not leakers. They’re whistleblowers!” Olivia, is my father-in-law right?
OLIVIA NUZZI: He is right. I think everyone here is right to a degree. But I don’t think it's as simple as we’re making it sound. Not all are patriots and trying to help the country and they are doing something courageous. Some leakers are just gossips. Some leakers are just want to feel important by giving reporters information. Don’t get me wrong, I'm all for that. I'm very pro-leak whatever the reason for the leak, but some of these leaks are, you know, people trying to protect the country or people trying to undermine the president or as Sarah was talking about, people being disloyal to the president and not wanting to help him in his agenda.
(…)
