Trump says NYT employees involved in Kavanaugh article should resign

President Trump says those involved in a New York Times story detailing a new sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh should resign from the publication.

In a series of tweets, the president on Monday evening accused those involved in publishing the article of trying to “smear” Kavanaugh and sullying the Times’s reputation. 

{mosads}Trump also said those responsible for the publication’s coverage of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation should resign — using the familiar phrase “witch hunt” to refer to the probe of his campaign’s contacts with the Russian government.   

“I call for the Resignation of everybody at The New York Times involved in the Kavanaugh SMEAR story, and while you’re at it, the Russian Witch Hunt Hoax, which is just as phony!” Trump wrote.

“They’ve taken the Old Grey Lady and broken her down, destroyed her virtue and ruined her reputation … She can never recover, and will never return to Greatness, under current Management. The Times is DEAD, long live The New York Times!” he continued.

I call for the Resignation of everybody at The New York Times involved in the Kavanaugh SMEAR story, and while you’re at it, the Russian Witch Hunt Hoax, which is just as phony! They’ve taken the Old Grey Lady and broken her down, destroyed her virtue and ruined her reputation…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2019

The Times article about sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh has sparked new uproar in Washington.

The article, adapted from a soon-to-be-published book, included a new allegation that Kavanaugh exposed himself to a female student at a party at Yale, triggering widespread criticism among Democrats and calls that he should be impeached.

The Times issued a correction to the article on Sunday, clarifying that friends of the woman at the center of the alleged incident say she doesn’t remember it happening. Another Yale classmate witnessed the incident and reported it to the FBI, according to the Times report, but has refused to speak publicly about it. 

The correction has triggered widespread outrage from conservatives. Trump seized on it at various points over the past few days, at one point suggesting Kavanaugh should sue the newspaper. 

Trump told reporters at the White House earlier Monday that the Times made a “terrible mistake” and published a “false accusation” against Kavanaugh.

“To do that about a Supreme Court justice is a terrible thing,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn. “It’s a false accusation.”

The Times did not immediately return a request for comment on the president’s suggestion that reporters and editors involved in the article should be forced to resign.

Trump regularly accuses the Times and other outlets of publishing false new stories. On Sunday, the president took aim at the news media for what he deemed false reporting about his willingness to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani without conditions, despite previous statements from Trump and other administration officials indicating he would not ask for preconditions for such a meeting.

The allegations against Kavanaugh took center stage during his confirmation process last fall, as Christine Blasey Ford, one of his accusers, testified about the allegations during a Senate hearing. Kavanaugh has vehemently denied the allegations against him and was confirmed narrowly to the court in October.