Halperin Circles the Wagons on Media Collusion

WikiLeaks has exposed journalists cribbing the Democrats’ opposition research to grill Republicans, coordinating on stories, and even allowing Democratic operatives to edit their stories — but Bloomberg Politics Managing Editor Mark Halperin said Monday that it is just the way the profession works.

Halperin, appearing on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” said reporters seek out knowledgeable sources from a variety of backgrounds to prepare for interviews.

“Throughout my career, if I want help with research, I’ve called the RNC or the DNC.”

“Throughout my career, if I want help with research, I’ve called the [Republican National Committee] or the [Democratic National Committee],” he said. “So, these examples are ones that have been asking the Democrats for assistance.”

LifeZette Editor-in-Chief Laura Ingraham expressed disbelief.

“So you don’t have any problem with a member of the media asking a political party for their opposition research?” she asked. “Isn’t the media supposed to be independent of the political Establishment and actually probing them and checking them instead of using their material?”

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Examples uncovered by WikiLeaks include an email in April from DNC Research Director Lauren Dillon informing staffers that CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer was looking for questions to ask Republican Donald Trump before he was set to deliver a major foreign policy speech. Staffers prepared a long list of suggested questions, although Dillon replied the interview would not happen.

“CNN said the interview was cancelled as of now but will keep the questions for the next one :( Good to have for others as well,” she wrote.

Three days later, Dillon informed staffers that CNN was looking for questions to ask Sen. Ted Cruz.

Also in April, a writer for Jake Tapper’s show on CNN emailed a former DNC media booker to thank him for helping to arrange an interview. The booker relied that he would see “if there’s any newsworthy (opposition)” that the DNC could drop.

In another set of emails, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank asked a party operative for help with a column he wrote in April entitled, “The Ten Plagues of Trump.” DNC staffers forwarded a list of suggestions to Deputy Communications Director Eric Walker.

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Halperin said it should not be done only with one side of the political spectrum. And journalists should use the information they receive to form their questions based on sound editorial judgment, he said.

“I see nothing wrong with asking interest groups and political parties and other campaigns … It doesn’t mean you take them uncritically,” he said.

Halperin, though, said it is a different story when media employees pass information to candidates. That was that case, according to leaked emails, when Democratic operative Donna Brazile — in her role as a CNN analyst — tipped of the Clinton campaign about questions that would be asked at political forums.

“Yeah, a big problem — a big problem with that,” Halperin said. “And I agree with Donald Trump that if a Republican had done that, it would have gotten a lot more attention.”