New York Times Makes Massive Correction to Nikki Haley Hit Piece on Curtains at UN Ambassador Residence

This is why President Trump The New York Times has made a massive correction to an outrageous attack on U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley that falsely accused of her of lavish spending on the ambassador’s residence in New York City with the purchase of curtains that cost taxpayers $52,701. (Previous TGP article here.)

The lease for the residence and the selection of the curtains were done by the Obama administration.

The article, by Gardiner Harris, was published Thursday evening. After being called out the Times appended a humiliating correction to the top of the article Friday afternoon:

Editors’ Note: September 14, 2018

“An earlier version of this article and headline created an unfair impression about who was responsible for the purchase in question. While Nikki R. Haley is the current ambassador to the United Nations, the decision on leasing the ambassador’s residence and purchasing the curtains was made during the Obama administration, according to current and former officials. The article should not have focused on Ms. Haley, nor should a picture of her have been used. The article and headline have now been edited to reflect those concerns, and the picture has been removed.”

Regardless of the correction, the URL for the article still reads, “Nikki Haley Curtains”: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/13/us/politics/nikki-haley-curtains.html

Original version of the article tweeted by NY Times reporter Edward Wong praising Gardiner, “State Dept., suffering from budget cuts, paid $52,000 for curtains in Nikki Haley’s Manhattan apartment. Scoop by @GardinerHarris. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/13/us/politics/nikki-haley-curtains.html … The rent is $58,000 per month. Taxpayer funded.”

https://twitter.com/comradewong/status/1040406689160282117

Harris’ tweet Thursday night promoting the article took a personal swipe at Haley, “Nikki Haley’s View of New York Is Priceless. Her Curtains? $52,701.” (Note the tweet itself has the updated version embedded.)

https://twitter.com/GardinerHarris/status/1040403109665759233

Before the Times made the massive correction, Harris defended his hit piece, “Administrations are responsible for contracts executed on their watch. Viz: VH-71 contract made by Bush, cancelled by Obama under withering Repub criticism. Trump threat to cancel AF1. Tillerson decisions to rescind hires, cancel spends.”

Original headline and lede:

State Department Spent $52,701 on Curtains for Nikki Haley’s Residence

The State Department spent $52,701 last year buying customized and mechanized curtains for the picture windows in Nikki R. Haley’s official residence as ambassador to the United Nations, just as the department was undergoing deep budget cuts and had frozen hiring.

The residence, in a new building on First Avenue, has spectacular views, and Ms. Haley is the first ambassador to live in it.”

It was not until the fourth paragraph a Haley spokesman was quoted explaining the curtains were chosen in 2016 by the Obama administration.

“A spokesman for Ms. Haley said plans to buy the curtains were made in 2016, during the Obama administration. Ms. Haley had no say in the purchase, he said.”

Early Friday morning, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) called for a Congressional investigation, based on the Times hit piece, “This is not okay. As a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I call on @HouseForeign Chairman @RepEdRoyce to hold an oversight hearing on @StateDept spending on @nikkihaley and her deputy.”

The Times hit on Haley was picked up and repeated by news outlets that later made corrections.

The New York Post: Nikki Haley spent over $52K in State Department money on curtains

The Hill: State Dept spent more than $52,000 on Nikki Haley’s apartment curtains: report

Of course, no media circus is complete these days without David Hogg blundering in with pronouncements from on high, “Dear Nikki Haley, There are starving children in America everyday and you have the audacity to misappropriate thousands of tax dollars for your own lavish lifestyle. Resign immediately sincerely, America”

https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/1040570710912061440

UPDATE: The Tweets by Edward Wong and David Hogg were deleted as this article was set to publish.

Photo of author
Kristinn Taylor has contributed to The Gateway Pundit for over ten years. Mr. Taylor previously wrote for Breitbart, worked for Judicial Watch and was co-leader of the D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com. He studied journalism in high school, visited the Newseum and once met David Brinkley.

You can email Kristinn Taylor here, and read more of Kristinn Taylor's articles here.

 

Thanks for sharing!