Politico sent copy of a story to the Democratic National Committee before publication, a recently leaked e-mail published by WikiLeaks reveals. The article was a May 2 story by Ken Vogel and Isaac Arnsdorf titled “Clinton fundraising leaves little for state parties.”
The email from DNC National Press Secretary & Deputy Communications Director Mark Paustenbach said, “Vogel gave me his story ahead of time/before it goes to his editors as long as I didn’t share it.”
In a statement to Huffington Post, also sent to iMediaEthics, Politico spokesperson Brad Dayspring said the site doesn’t usually “share editorial content pre-publication” but argued the reporter was doing so for fact checking.
“In this case the reporter was attempting to check some very technical language and figures involving the DNC’s joint fundraising agreement with the Clinton campaign,” Dayspring told the Huffington Post.
Regardless, Dayspring said it was wrong to send the DNC a full copy of the story. “Checking the relevant passages for accuracy was responsible and consistent with our standards; Sharing the full piece was a mistake and not consistent with our policies,” Dayspring is quoted as saying. “There were no substantive changes to the piece and in fact the final story was blasted out by the both RNC and the Sanders campaign, and prompted Politifact to revise its rating on the issue in question.”
“There will be no further comment on our internal process regarding this matter,” Dayspring added.
Vogel declined to comment on the record.
The New York Times reported that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had indicated the timing was related to the Democratic National Convention, and that Assange criticized Clinton. The Times’ headline? “Assange, Avowed Foe of Clinton, Timed Email Release for Democratic Convention.”
Hat Tip: Mediaite