In its West Wing Playbook, Politico reporters Alex Thompson and Nick Niedzwiadek have decided to paint Jennifer Rubin as the Biden administration’s favorite columnist. Most of us have followed Rubin’s conversion from stalwart Republican to never-Trumper over the last few years. Some of us — me included — have not forgotten her past transgressions, even as we applaud the principles she now espouses.
It’s not surprising in the least that the White House appreciates her conversion and disseminates her work, albeit indirectly. It’s also understood that a little digging would find WaPo staffers who might be uncomfortable with her newfound appreciation of Democrats:
“She is an opinion columnist and does not represent the newsroom,” said one Post reporter. “I think our news coverage has been pretty sharp toward Biden on a number of fronts — immigration, Afghanistan, etc. — and we have a lot of good reporters. Jen Rubin is not a good representation of the news coverage of the Washington Post. I have been asked before if I hate sharing a newsroom with her... I reply that I don't.”
Nonetheless, Rubin is an opinion columnist, not a reporter, and Politico’s story — based on four WaPo staffers, two of whom said they don’t read her stuff — is low, even by Politico’s inside-the-Beltway standards. Then the story takes a bizarre turn:
On Thursday, we reached back out with our reporting. Rubin responded in an email with the subject line “OFF THE RECORD.” Since we never agreed to conduct such an off-the-record conversation, we are publishing it below in full:
How utterly predictable that Politico would run the zillionth hit piece on a prominent woman, especially one candid in her critiques of Politico's hysterical, clickbait style of coverage. The notion that I am polarizing in a newsroom (as opposed to any of the dozens of other opinion writers) is a "take" only Politico could come up with — by of course running around to ask the question in the first place. I trust the Post's superb news side folks spend zero time thinking about me (as is entirely appropriate). My only surprise is that Sam [Stein, POLITICO’s White House editor], a very good journalist, would become enmeshed in such an obviously misogynistic publication. Surely there are finer publications that would have him.
And btw, what a low class move to do this on Yom Kippur at the last moment.
For the record, I’d be just as appalled if the writers did the same thing to Marc Thiessen.
Though, somehow, I don’t imagine they would.