Kurtz calls Kavanaugh story 'journalistic malpractice' by The New York Times
Fox News media analyst Howard Kurtz says it is irresponsible to make a charge of sexual assault after omitting that the alleged victim does not recall the incident.
A revision to a supposed bombshell piece on an allegation of sexual assault against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was “nothing short of malpractice,” “MediaBuzz” host Howard Kurtz said Monday.
Appearing on “America’s Newsroom” with co-hosts Bill Hemmer and Sandra Smith, Kurtz said The Times was irresponsible to make a charge of that magnitude against Kavanaugh, when “the woman in question -- the woman who is allegedly the victim here who supposedly according to the book -- won’t comment.”
On Sunday, The Times suddenly made a major correction to an article concerning a resurfaced allegation of sexual assault by the justice from his youth. The original piece had sparked calls for Kavanaugh’s impeachment -- including from some 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
The two reporters who wrote the story adapted it from an upcoming book, leaving out that several friends of the supposed victim said that she did not recall the sexual assault in question at all. They also did not mention that the victim refused to be interviewed and has made no comment.
NEW YORK TIMES CRITICIZED FROM BOTH SIDES OF AISLE OVER NOW-REVISED KAVANAUGH ALLEGATIONS
“To leave that central fact -- which is in the reporters' book -- out of the newspaper piece by the same two New York Times reporters is just stunning,” Kurtz said.
The Times' revision read: "Editors' Note: 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."
President Trump, who nominated Kavanaugh to the high court, had a strong reaction on Sunday morning, tweeting: “Brett Kavanaugh should start suing people for libel, or the Justice Department should come to his rescue. The lies being told about him are unbelievable. False Accusations without recrimination. When does it stop? They are trying to influence his opinions. Can’t let that happen!”
WASHINGTON POST SAYS IT PASSED ON NEW YORK TIMES’ NOW-REVISED KAVANAUGH STORY
Kurtz said he wasn’t sure about the president’s comment on the Department of Justice coming to Kavanaugh’s “rescue,” but said a source close to the ustice told him this was “’a disgusting effort to smear Justice Kavanaugh to sell a few books. There is nothing new here.’”
According to Kurtz, the authors had a secondhand source -- Max Stier -- who said that the incident in question happened, but didn’t talk to him. They talked to two unnamed “officials” who talked to Stier.
“So, even that part of the account is secondhand,” Kurtz said. “I don’t think that reaches the level to publish a story with a charge of this magnitude.”
Kurtz said he believes that the “very thin allegation” is “in the process of collapsing” but that 2020 Democrats are trying to use the story to gain some advantage.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“They think Kavanaugh’s a good issue for them. But we’re talking here about something that is just not holding up to scrutiny and the New York Times correction today I think is really letting the air out of that,” Kurtz told Hemmer and Smith.
“I think this is pretty black and white. I think it is a trainwreck,” he said.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox