Liberal Plantation Enforcer WaPo Accuses Lynne Patton of Using Michael Cohen Hearing for Reality Show Audition

It’s too bad she isn’t filming a reality show, because this attack by the Washington Post on Lynne Patton published Friday morning would be a great example of how Republican women of color are treated when they dare stray from the liberal plantation.

Washington Post reporter Tracy Jan authored a mocking hit piece on HUD official–and long-term Trump employee– Lynne Patton following her character reference appearance on behalf of President Trump at Wednesday’s House hearing where she faced down turncoat former Trump attorney Michael Cohen to refute his unfounded accusation that Trump is a racist. Patton is HUD’s Regional Administrator for Region II comprised of New York and New Jersey, serving under Secretary Ben Carson.

Patton, who was interviewed for the Post article, fought back on Twitter against Jan who returned fire on Patton. The exchanges are added at the end of this article.

The Post article is a mix of factual reporting to cover a full-on attack on Patton, starting with the headline:

How a HUD official turned the Michael Cohen hearing into a reality TV audition

Her cameo appearance at the Michael Cohen hearing — a bit of stagecraft intended to dispel accusations of racism against President Trump — provoked an instant backlash from black politicians and the public.

But Lynne Patton, a longtime Trump family aide turned federal housing bureaucrat, has long reveled in the limelight, even going so far as to seek permission to star in a reality TV show while serving as a HUD official.

In an Oct. 18, 2018, memo to officials at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Patton sought ethical and legal guidance on potentially participating in a “docuseries” about black Republicans, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.

The article recounts questions Patton submitted to HUD about the ethics and logistics of her taking a leave of absence or temporary resignation to participate in the show. Patton notes she turned down an offer in 2016 before taking office so she could serve in the Trump administration and turned down a later offer.

Patton decided to turn down the later offer and stay at HUD after HUD’s response made it clear it would be difficult to do, including limits on outside pay.

The Post mocks Patton’s decision to live for a month in New York City Housing Authority apartment across the city to investigate conditions in the run-down public housing complexes–making mocking reality show snark about the rat-infested, moldy conditions tenants are forced to live in. The Post calls it part of a “never ending audition.”

Even so, it appears as though Patton, who landed a $160,000 a year job overseeing HUD’s New York and New Jersey region after serving as the Trump campaign’s senior adviser on minority engagement, has been on a never-ending audition.

She moved into New York City public housing in February to highlight the deplorable living conditions — Rats! Black mold! Getting trapped in an elevator! — that prompted a conference call with the president himself. But Patton said she had to suspend her month-long stay to be in Washington this week for mandatory HUD meetings.

Over the objections of some HUD officials, Patton skipped the final day of meetings for regional administrators, taking unpaid leave Wednesday to pop up behind a Republican congressman as he grilled Trump’s former fixer on his characterization of the president as a racist.

Her surprise appearance at the hearing — she stood for less than a minute as Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) recounted Patton’s previous statements that she would never work for anyone who was racist — was panned by critics who said she had allowed herself to be used as a prop.

The Post includes this bit of gossip about Patton at HUD.

At HUD, Patton has the reputation of being uncontrollable — and untouchable, given her close ties to the Trumps. The Post previously reported on emails showing how she tried to get a colleague fired by citing her friendship with Eric Trump.

And the Post notes Patton is under investigation for her hearing appearance on her own time.

Darryl Madden, spokesman for HUD’s Office of Inspector General, told The Post Thursday that the office has referred Patton’s appearance at the hearing to the Office of Special Counsel for additional review.

The Post hit closes with snarky reportage on Patton’s live-in tour of NYCHA projects.

On Monday, Patton is scheduled to resume regularly scheduled programming: moving in with her third volunteer family living in New York public housing, this time in the Queens neighborhood where Amazon was supposed to built a second headquarters.

And just as she has done during her week-long stays in housing complexes in the Bronx and Upper West Side, Patton will tour the distressed apartments, documented by her own video blog — and the media she has invited to tag along.

The complete Washington Post article can be read at this link.

Earlier Friday Patton responded to a critic who said he was more qualified for the job than she. is, “Fair enough. But ask your fellow housing stakeholders what I’ve been able to accomplish as (likely) the only RA in history w/both the President & Secretary’s cell numbers. Saving PAB’s, extending FFB-Risk Share, lifting Davis-Bacon on RAD-2. It’s not always what you know…”

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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.

 

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