NYT hot shot political reporter Maggie Haberman came clean about unintentionally spreading false info about White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
To her credit, she apologized to Sanders twice in a White House pool report covering President Trump‘s trip to Paris.
On Thursday, Haberman sent out this report written in journalese.
So what does all that mean?
Haberman can’t be entirely to blame here.
Mass confusion ensued after President Trump and his press team went back and forth on what could be on the record and what would be off. One might say the administration doesn’t seem to care how much of a shitshow Trump and his press aides create in their terrible relations with the media.
From another pool report by Haberman (bolding mine):
At 5:41 pool was brought into Macron’s office for a spray. Your pooler called out a question about the meeting to POTUS; Macron responded that there will be a press conference to follow.
POTUS asked your pooler why she didn’t use what he has said last night. Your pooler reminded him last night was off the record. POTUS asked if I had heard him say it could be on-record; your pooler replied truthfully no (co-poolers also were not under impression it was on-record, since Sarah Sanders had declared it off record).
Macron and Trump posed for another picture, and shook hands again (Gary Cohn reminded them to shake hands before they sat down).
“Nice room. Isn’t that a beautiful room?” POTUS said.
The grip by both was less feral than the initial handshake weeks ago. POTUS unclasped hands first.
Your pooler was brought out of that room, but Gary Cohn and POTUS called your pooler back in to say the comms shop is putting most of the OTR on the record after their staff transcribes it. Sanders followed up to describe that as “excerpts” that will be released, though not for a bit still and unclear precisely what chunks, though she said mostly on policy.
At 5:44 pool was brought down to the expanded bilat, with names of most attendees still to come. POTUS sat in the middle of the long table, across from Macron. Priebus was to the right of POTUS. We were led back out and are now holding in a ballroom with teardrop chandeliers and a red rug with white flowers and green spring decorations.
Your pooler will apprise with updates soon.
