Turns out things might not be as spontaneous as they seem - in fact, in the paranoid world of neo-con American journalism things are very rarely spontaneous. They're usually nasty, angry, ugly exchanges full of trolly self-righteous butthurt.
Rania Khalek & Max Blumenthal revealed that tweets, likely by mouthpiece Jamie Kirchick at the neo-con think-tank FPI, pre-empted Wahl's RT stage exit.
Not only that, but that Kirchick, along with Buzzfeed's Rosie Gray (who coincidentally also published an RT hit-piece recently) and Eli Lake, are knitted into a cosy set of self-supporting neo-con relationships with lobbyists and foreign policy hawks.
Here they are (with Wahl) being totally not sorry about that.
Sorry not sorry pic.twitter.com/FrQw8duXoFIt started with Khalek & Bumenthal tweeting a paragraph exposing how Gray, Lake and Kirchick are linked by lobbying, but spun into a childish slag-fest that even got people flipping birds. Seriously.
- Rosie Gray (@RosieGray) March 20, 2014
This is what propaganda journalism looks like, neocon style:http://t.co/py5CHauiY8pic.twitter.com/io7258RTzV
- Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) March 19, 2014
.@MaxBlumenthal@RaniaKhalek You know that's a lie, right Max? I'm not in those FARA documents.Good start out of the blocks! That moment a Buzzfeed 'power smurf' realizes she's on a US Foreign Agent Act register.
- Rosie Gray (@RosieGray) March 19, 2014
.@RosieGray@MaxBlumenthal Yes you are, Rosie. See here: http://t.co/SOmZZKlHqdpic.twitter.com/7AWNUYtoauBut then it gets personal.
- Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) March 19, 2014
.@RaniaKhalek@RosieGray You know what IS a lie, Rosie? Nearly every line in this trash you ran: http://t.co/b1hibEh0eG Time to retract, no?Then catty.
- Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) March 19, 2014
@RaniaKhalek You probably don't know this, but reporters in Washington who meet with foreign officials appear on FARA forms cc: @rosiegray
- Eli Lake (@EliLake) March 19, 2014
.@EliLake @RosieGray Okay, so why was Rosie so embarrassed that she felt compelled to lie about it just now?Then comes the dining and whining pay-off expose.
- Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) March 19, 2014
.@EliLake @RosieGray Is it normal for reporters to accept lavish dinners from foreign lobbyists, like you and @jkirchick did?
- Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) March 19, 2014
@goodnewsgoddess@RosieGray@RaniaKhalek pay for play PR dressed up as news for journos who do no shoe leather and never investigate power.A schoolyard bully brouhaha breaks out (emphasis on haha).
- Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) March 19, 2014
@RaniaKhalek That's a lie, repeated by your crowd. I pay for my lunches with sources or we rotate who pays.
- Eli Lake (@EliLake) March 19, 2014
.@kampeas @steveniweiss @RosieGray @RaniaKhalek @EliLake nice to know DC journos think dinners w foreign lobbyists (pay 4 play) is kosherEnter True American hero.
- Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) March 19, 2014
@RaniaKhalek is close friends with @AbbyMartin . This is part of the conspiracy crowd that defends RT and thrives off spreading lies
- Liz Wahl (@lizwahl) March 19, 2014
@AbbyMartin@RaniaKhalek demonstrate the dangers of being brainwashed by Kremlin propaganda, promoting anti-Americanism and anti-SemitismOver the horizon gallops Slate's Dave Wiegel (author of a 'puff piece' on Wahl that very day), brandishing a photo of Abby & Khalek flipping off a pic of Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Liz Wahl (@lizwahl) March 19, 2014
Here's the co-author of the Truthdig @jkirchick hit, with RT truther host Abby Martin, flipping off a photo of Bibi pic.twitter.com/N2fkqxhPvtClaws are out and Khalek has to, y'know, tell the truth.
- daveweigel (@daveweigel) March 19, 2014
.@lizwahl @Slate Your distaste for the photo of us flipping off Netanyahu is strange, Liz, considering you were the photographer.Slap! Wahl goes into radio silence. The damsel is distressed. Slate's man reaches for the conspiracy hammer. Are you ready?
- Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) March 20, 2014
I hung out with @lizwahl on the day of the RT counteroffensive http://t.co/Bd6psFF7QpSo now, RT is behind a 'counteroffensive'. When in doubt blame the Kremlin. Always. Blame. The Kremlin. Because sources.
- daveweigel (@daveweigel) March 20, 2014
.@daveweigel And you didn't print those answers. Now how are we part of an "RT counteroffensive?" You're saying RT solicited our report?
- Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) March 20, 2014
@MaxBlumenthal RT sources, RT people retweeting it, summing up story in 140 charsYeah, only real journalists can dig that deep, and know what you meant better than you did.
- daveweigel (@daveweigel) March 20, 2014
.@daveweigel so far you've only deployed hyperbole, condescension & snark against our facts. Do you have anything better to offer us?Lake obliged.
- Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) March 20, 2014
I think Max and Rania heard @jkirchick and @lizwahl "like to fuck with the Russians"http://t.co/puCxZXAy6TWhile Jamie is not offended at all (why would he be?), he has these important messages to deliver to the world via his army of 5,000+ Twitter followers:
- Eli Lake (@EliLake) March 19, 2014
One should never ask a lady her age, but I am 30, not 31! http://t.co/JdDSQhbDcg
- Jamie Kirchick (@jkirchick) March 19, 2014
That's the thing my trolls don't understand. I revel in your hatred of me.We feel for you, Jamie! We feel for you.
- Jamie Kirchick (@jkirchick) March 19, 2014
Batman - haters gonna hate! Yes indeed lol. pic.twitter.com/sity6CyT
- Alicia Steadman (@Lagniappe_girl) February 4, 2013
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