They Know and They Won't Tell You...for Free

Pictured is the cover of the upcoming book from Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, two New York Times reporters that have been covering Trump for quite some time. Quite closely, in fact. As the title suggests, the book covers the first year of Trump's second term, and a big focus of it is expected to be on all the greatest hits we've come to know and love: the weaponization of the Justice Department, the rampant cronyism, the war with Iran, and, of course, the Epstein Files.

That last one is particularly relevant with the news that the White House has reason to believe that Haberman and Swan have obtained leaked audio from none other than the Situation Room, the most secret and secure setting for discussions pertaining to national security. Allegedly, some of that audio contains conversations between high ranking individuals, such as White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, and even Vice President, J.D. Vance, discussing how to "handle" Trump's presence in the Epstein Files. Shocking, I know.

But obviously the shocking thing here isn't that they would do this: we know they did this. The shocking part is that Haberman and Swan have chosen to sit on this story to put it in a goddamn book that they can sell you for $30. Leaks from the Situation Room are unheard of, to say nothing of the fact that this isn't exactly benign conversations about how to navigate foreign threats, but rather an explicit act of covering up the most damning accusations possible against the leader of the free world, misnomer as it's become. This shit makes Watergate look like a leaked conversation about the weather.

And the worst part? This is not the first time Haberman has pulled something like this. She's received criticism for potentially withholding knowledge that Trump had no intention of leaving the White House after his loss in November 20th to save it for her upcoming book Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America. It is completely unreasonable and immoral to gate this information behind a book because you want another NYT #1 Bestseller accolade. This is not reporting: it's profiteering.

The book is slated to come out next Tuesday, 6/23, but this is by no means an advertisement. It's a condemnation. This is not how serious and dedicated journalists comport themselves. This is just garden variety grifter behavior.