Journalist Mark Halperin said Wednesday he doubts the validity of a story pitched to him that “would end” former President Donald Trump’s reelection bid “if it’s true.”
The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, published a story on Tuesday alleging Trump was furious about covering the funeral of U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen after initially pledging to do so, with Halperin casting doubt on its accuracy, citing its timing and Goldberg’s political motivations. Halperin, on his 2WAY platform, urged caution, saying stories with damaging allegations surfacing close to the election should be heavily scrutinized.
WATCH:
“Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic just happened to publish a story two weeks before the election, with accusations against Donald Trump, some of which have been disputed for the first time, some of which have been disputed for quite some time, and the point I was making is: there’s all sorts of things being floated out there,” Halperin said. “Maybe Jeffrey Goldberg just happened to finish the story two weeks before the election … I know of one story that’s been pitched to a major newspaper and to me and for all I know to many others that I don’t believe is true. But if it’s true, as I said yesterday, it would end Donald Trump’s campaign.”
“What we’re seeing in the final days … is actors who want a certain outcome are on social media and in pitches to reporters and in the case of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg writing himself, are trying to affect the end of the race because they’re so desperate to try to pull a [former FBI Director James] Comey,” he added. “I’m not pursuing the story, I don’t think it’s true, people at Mar-a-Lago calm down. All I’m saying is there are people out there pitching stuff and if it were true, it would end his campaign.”
Guillen’s sister Mayra disputed the story on X, as did the family’s attorney Natalie Khawam and former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
The New York Times also published a story on Tuesday describing interviews the outlet conducted with former Trump White House chief of staff John Kelly, in which he claimed the former president would govern autocratically if reelected.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told the NYT that Kelly’s alleged White House recollections are “debunked stories,” asserting Kelly had “beclowned” himself.
Trump now holds slim leads over Harris in all seven top battleground states, according to the RealClear Polling averages. Journalist Mark Halperin asserted Tuesday that Trump will be elected president on Nov. 5 if the present early voting trajectory holds.
Goldberg similarly published a story in The Atlantic in September 2020 citing anonymous sources claiming Trump canceled a 2018 visit to a French cemetery where American troops are buried, declaring that they were “suckers” and “losers.” The credibility of that story has also been refuted, with former national security adviser John Bolton denying Trump uttered these words and asserting the former president did not visit the cemetery for reasons related to weather and security.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/YouTube/2WAY)
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