New York Times Inflames Immigration Debate
Call the Disinformation Governance Board
By Andrew R. Arthur on May 6, 2022
In a recent post reviewing DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ April 28 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, I referenced statements by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) about a GOP plan for that hearing that had been uncovered “in the newspaper”. In fact, the Republican briefing memo for that hearing was leaked to the New York Times, which summarized it on April 21. “Summarized” is likely the wrong word as the Times reporting was pure spin, and inflammatory spin at that. Perhaps the secretary should call his new “Disinformation Governance Board” (DSB) to investigate the “Newspaper of Record”.
Hearing Briefing Memos. In advance of every hearing on Capitol Hill, Democratic and Republican staffers prepare briefing memos for their members on issues that may arise at the hearing and possible lines of questioning that members may want to consider. The majority often also prepares a general one for all the members.
As a staffer, I drafted more than a hundred such memos, and can tell you that they are generally tightly controlled. I trusted and liked my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, but I never shared any hearing memos with them and was quick to pick up any errant ones that members had left behind.
Which makes the leak of this one even more remarkable. Perhaps someone with access just had an axe to grind.
https://cis.org/Arthur/New-York-Times-Inflames-Immigration-Debate
