Talk about an incestuous relationship between the Democratic Party and American media.
ABC spokeswoman Heather Riley, who’s at the center of the story of George Stephanopoulos donating to the Clinton Foundation, worked in the Clinton White House press office from 1997 to 2000, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
Riley was first approached about the Stephanopoulos story Wednesday evening by Andrew Stiles, a reporter for the Free Beacon.
Stiles had discovered the Stephanopoulos donations and was seeking an official comment.
“What time are you posting? Want to make sure I get it to you in time,” Riley told the reporter in an email, according to The Washington Post.
After not hearing back from Riley, the Free Beacon decided to move ahead with what they had Thursday morning when the outlet was suddenly alerted that Politico had just broken the story.
The Free Beacon received Riley’s response 15 minutes later.
Riley previously defended ABC News for not mentioning a Vanity Fair article detailing Monica Lewinsky’s relationship with Bill Clinton during an interview the network conducted with Hillary Clinton just a few days after the piece was published.
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Questions are now being asked about whether Politico media reporter Dylan Byers really broke the Stephanopoulos story Thursday.
The Post reported Friday that “games may have been played” to steal the scoop from Stiles.
Even Politico reporter Jack Shafer smelled a rat.
“The story appears to have originated at the Washington Free Beacon, which asked ABC News for comment about the Stephanopoulos contributions last night,” Shafer wrote later Thursday. “The next thing the Free Beacon knew, Politico had broken the story this morning.”
Shafer noted that Stiles and Free Beacon editor-in-chief Matthew Continetti accused Stephanopoulos’ office and ABC of “shipping the scoop to Politico.”
“I sent [an] email to ABC News seeking clarification on this point and did not hear back,” Shafer wrote. “I also asked Byers about the origin of his scoop to which he responded, ‘I’m not going to be able to talk about matters related to sourcing.’”
To clear up any misunderstanding, Continetti and Stiles took to social media to lay out their position, according to this Twitter post:
Thanks @ABC for leaking statement to @DylanByers after @AndrewStilesUSA and @FreeBeacon asked you about Stephanopoulos donation to Clintons
— Matthew Continetti (@continetti) May 14, 2015
.@AndrewStilesUSA spotted the donation yesterday. I told him to ask @ABC for comment. They said they’d give a statement—to @DylanByers!
— Matthew Continetti (@continetti) May 14, 2015
I contacted ABC News last night for statement on Stephanopoulos donation to Clinton Foundation. pic.twitter.com/J5WWwKZc0w
— Andrew Stiles (@AndrewStilesUSA) May 14, 2015
Here is the story that would have broken the George Stephanopolous donation if @ABC had any sense of decency: http://t.co/S8zDBhfVXL
— Matthew Continetti (@continetti) May 14, 2015
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