Quote of the Day:
“Where do I send the box of chocolates?”
— Fire and Fury author Michael Wolff on NBC “TODAY” Show reacting to President Trump and his lawyers sending cease and desist orders about his book, which popped Friday.
Polyamorous journo does not like that he recognizes Rubio’s voice
“I don’t like that I can immediately recognize Marco Rubio’s voice when I hear him on TV,” — Seth Millstein, Bustle. (Note to readers: You may recall, Seth kindly called me a “bad jew” during Yom Kippur.)
Washington Post journo discusses her pee habits on Twitter
“I’m on day 3 of drinking 2 litres of water a day and I swear I’ve never peed so much in my life.” — Jennifer Hassan, world news and social media, Washington Post.
On Breitbart News‘ professionalism…
“It doesn’t bother me that I wasn’t invited to the Breitbart CPAC Boat Party this year, but they also didn’t invite one of my friends and (one of their then-employees’) wife, and he had to go out of his way to get them to. They also booked an interview with a reporter friend of mine, then specifically called him and told him the position was filled a few minutes before his interview (after stringing him along for weeks), apparently just to mess with me. It’s that kind of stuff that people remember in the business world, or in life in general.”
— Patrick Howley, former reporter, Breitbart News. He now heads up Big League Politics.
Update: Howley has more to say today:
“The Breitbart 2016 campaign team was the best journalism team ever. I’m immensely loyal to the people I served with — some of whom went on to the White House, some of whom are still there, and some of whom were kicked out after the election. I love the Breitbart readers more than just about anything in the world, and I’m always thankful to them for rallying around me when I got briefly fired during the Corey Lewandowski fiasco. I’m also thankful to Matt Drudge for frequently linking to my work during the campaign.”
Daily Beast‘s Sam Stein wants to do WHAT?
“I would like to smoke pot with Jeff Sessions for an article.”
— Sam Stein, The Daily Beast.
Axios reporter gargles Fire and Fury and here’s what he spits out
“Having now read through, Michael Wolff’s book is an explosive mixture of gifted writing and acid observation, OTR or background conversations put on record — a journalistic breach — some stuff that definitely did happen, unattributed reliance on others’ work and total fiction.” — Jonathan Swan.
The Observer
“The argument that the Trump administration has no standards so the journalists covering it shouldn’t either is a very bad argument.” — Aaron Blake, Washington Post.
Journo sticks up for ‘palace intrigue’ pieces
“What’s also remarkable is that reporters like @maggieNYT were facing criticism for doing too much so-called palace intrigue pieces. Now that Wolff book is out, some people are upset that there wasn’t more palace intrigue pieces. It’s perplexing.” — Oliver Darcy, media writer, CNN.
Hawaiian senator wants the drama to stop
“There is a lot happening at the same time and there is enough drama for three years of stories in the last three days. The challenge for our country is to focus on what matters, not what is the most wild and interesting to observe. What matters most is the rule of law.” — Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).
Speaking of drama…
“The Trump administration is so damn drama filled. I’m logging of to dial down the drama with some Real Housewives re-runs. See y’all later.” — Jennifer Hayden, senior social media editor, DailyKos.
Trump. In Bed. Burgers. Bannon’s Nickname.
“Imagine being called ‘Sloppy’ by a guy who eats hamburgers in bed.” — John Ladorola, host, The Young Turks.
Sean Spicer relieved to ask questions for a change
“It was enjoyable to not just answer the questions,” the former White House Press Secretary told The Mirror about his one-hour appearance on HLN”s SE Cupp Unfiltered Thursday.
Washington Examiner scribe offers SE Cupp interviewing advice
“The ‘did you ever tell a lie’ question is stupid. More constructive is ‘did you always feel you were being up front with us?’ You will get a more interesting answer.” — Eddie Scarry, media writer, Washington Examiner.
This was in response to Daily Mail‘s David Martosko who wrote, “Sean Spicer: I ‘screwed up’ as press secretary but NEVER lied.”
Bette Midler equates Trump and Bannon to killer diseases
“Trump & Bannon have turned on each other BIGLY. It’s impossible to pick a side. It’s as if Cancer & Ebola got into a fight.” — Bette Midler, liberal actress.
MUTUAL APPRECIATION SOCIETY: NBC’s Scarborough and CNBC’s Harwood
JOHN HARWOOD: “For cryin’ out loud the story is not ‘Trump vs Bannon.’ It’s the book’s depiction, by multiple sources, of the president as unfit for his immense responsibilities and therefore a danger to United States and the world.”
JOE SCARBOROUGH: “Exactly, John. Those trying to make this book about a Trump v. Bannon fight are missing the bigger truth again revealed: Donald Trump is unfit mentally and temperamentally to lead America.”
Yashar Ali wants to be Oprah’s bitch
“I wanna be Oprah’s dog,” the freelancer wrote with the above picture. Ali writes for HuffPost and New York Mag.
Gossip Roundup
TMZ: The Fonz is worried about America.
NYP‘s Page Six: ABC’s GMA co-host Lara Spencer is engaged to a man she met on a blind date.
Fox 8 Cleveland: Khloé Kardashian told ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Thursday night that she’ll give birth in Cleveland and her baby daddy Tristan Thompson will be there, game or not (TT plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers).
The Daily Beast: “Now, like two rats in a bag, Trump and Bannon are tearing at one another in a delicious public spat that has every possible bit of drama, except Bannon drunkenly bellowing for a round of fisticuffs with all comers and Trump offering to compare the length of their relative manhoods on live television. They deserve one another in so many ways.” — Rick Wilson, columnist. Read the whole column.
