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KURT EICHENWALD kurtewald@mac.com Re: a question October 13, 2016 at 4:02 PM William Moran wm87@georgetown.edu
Ok, William. I guess the idea of helping you find other work through folks I know in Washington is pointless. Now let me respond.
1. Since you insist on trying to make this a legal issue, I have to turn over all conversations from here on to Newsweek’s lawyers.
2. I did not lie about trying to contact Sputnik. There is no indication of where internet contacts go; I do not know if they are in Washington or not.
3. As I said on twitter on the night when I apparently blocked you — I was rapidly blocking 1000s of people based on short assessment of who they were because huge numbers were going after my kids and my wife. After publication of an article, I receive up to about 200 notifications a minute on my twitter feed, and there were people sharing information about how to reach my wife and kids, and how to harm my wife. I actually issued an apology that night to people who may have gotten caught up in the block-storm inadvertently. Since then, both Newsweek and I have filed multiple reports to twitter on people who threatened me and my family. I never saw your tweet, something that should be obvious given that I responded to you once I heard from you directly and saw your tweet (from another account? I dont know how I am seeing what you tweeted yesterday if I blocked you.)
4. If you want to say you were fired not because of printing unconfirmed stuff that you pulled off the internet, then failing to correct it, but because it was written about in the context of ongoing events, so be it.
5. If you want to argue that the DNI and all of American intelligence is wrong about Sputnik, feel free.
6. You also have created a fantasy in your mind that this was about going after Trump. A story about the altered document went up online before we had any idea Trump had spoken about it. His role was added later.
I’m sorry you have shut down my ability to help you out. Finally, I would strongly advise you not to make false accusations against me based on what you think happened.
On Oct 13, 2016, at 3:32 PM, William Moran <wm87@georgetown.edu> wrote:
Kurt, You are still misrepresenting reality. I did make a mistake on my story. That is true. And I removed the story within 20 minutes because I wanted to make sure people were receiving accurate information.
You know elements of your story are material misrepresentations of fact or are completely false but you do continue to keep it up in its present form.
So there is a distinction there. A substantial one. I can also tell you that I have been told, even in writing, that I was fired because of the firestorm, not because of the underlying act. My former editor today wrote me exactly that today and said, and I quote: "If
he doesn't feel ashamed of himself and doesn't retract the story, we will go public. I don't think we have any other choice. I would go public now, because he clearly lied about contacting us. They never did. Not just that, he blocked you when you tried to give him actual facts.
And now he knows exactly what happened and still wouldn't apologize? This is just beyond any norm of decency."
He didn't want to fire me and almost cried about it because he knows how hard I work and that I try to do a stand-up job. Somebody's head had to roll after the false narrative that was put out.
And there are some parts -- the claim of calling us, the claim that the story only came down after you reached out to us, the claim that we were the only possible source for the error, the claim that it was some broad conspiracy citing an intelligence source even though you now know otherwise (this latter point, since you have a quote, was fair until you knew otherwise, but also should be updated to reflect actual facts in the public interest), and everything else that I laid out in the previous email.
My hunch is this -- You hate Trump (a fair thing), you aren't all too thrilled about anything with even a tangential connection to Russia (maybe a fair thing, too), and you don't want to retract this thing even though you know it lacks veracity -- the only person who is getting hurt as a result is me.
So I don't mean to be rude nor do I need to calm down (I don't think I was rude) and it is not a threat - I just want you to know, no, I do not intend on backing away from this matter. Something should be done to make this whole thing right or at least better than it is now because Page 1 of 5
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KURT EICHENWALD kurtewald@mac.com Re: a question October 13, 2016 at 4:02 PM William Moran wm87@georgetown.edu
Ok, William. I guess the idea of helping you find other work through folks I know in Washington is pointless. Now let me respond.
1. Since you insist on trying to make this a legal issue, I have to turn over all conversations from here on to Newsweek’s lawyers.
2. I did not lie about trying to contact Sputnik. There is no indication of where internet contacts go; I do not know if they are in Washington or not.
3. As I said on twitter on the night when I apparently blocked you — I was rapidly blocking 1000s of people based on short assessment of who they were because huge numbers were going after my kids and my wife. After publication of an article, I receive up to about 200 notifications a minute on my twitter feed, and there were people sharing information about how to reach my wife and kids, and how to harm my wife. I actually issued an apology that night to people who may have gotten caught up in the block-storm inadvertently. Since then, both Newsweek and I have filed multiple reports to twitter on people who threatened me and my family. I never saw your tweet, something that should be obvious given that I responded to you once I heard from you directly and saw your tweet (from another account? I dont know how I am seeing what you tweeted yesterday if I blocked you.)
4. If you want to say you were fired not because of printing unconfirmed stuff that you pulled off the internet, then failing to correct it, but because it was written about in the context of ongoing events, so be it.
5. If you want to argue that the DNI and all of American intelligence is wrong about Sputnik, feel free.
6. You also have created a fantasy in your mind that this was about going after Trump. A story about the altered document went up online before we had any idea Trump had spoken about it. His role was added later.
I’m sorry you have shut down my ability to help you out. Finally, I would strongly advise you not to make false accusations against me based on what you think happened.
On Oct 13, 2016, at 3:32 PM, William Moran <wm87@georgetown.edu> wrote:
Kurt, You are still misrepresenting reality. I did make a mistake on my story. That is true. And I removed the story within 20 minutes because I wanted to make sure people were receiving accurate information.
You know elements of your story are material misrepresentations of fact or are completely false but you do continue to keep it up in its present form.
So there is a distinction there. A substantial one. I can also tell you that I have been told, even in writing, that I was fired because of the firestorm, not because of the underlying act. My former editor today wrote me exactly that today and said, and I quote: "If
he doesn't feel ashamed of himself and doesn't retract the story, we will go public. I don't think we have any other choice. I would go public now, because he clearly lied about contacting us. They never did. Not just that, he blocked you when you tried to give him actual facts.
And now he knows exactly what happened and still wouldn't apologize? This is just beyond any norm of decency."
He didn't want to fire me and almost cried about it because he knows how hard I work and that I try to do a stand-up job. Somebody's head had to roll after the false narrative that was put out.
And there are some parts -- the claim of calling us, the claim that the story only came down after you reached out to us, the claim that we were the only possible source for the error, the claim that it was some broad conspiracy citing an intelligence source even though you now know otherwise (this latter point, since you have a quote, was fair until you knew otherwise, but also should be updated to reflect actual facts in the public interest), and everything else that I laid out in the previous email.
My hunch is this -- You hate Trump (a fair thing), you aren't all too thrilled about anything with even a tangential connection to Russia (maybe a fair thing, too), and you don't want to retract this thing even though you know it lacks veracity -- the only person who is getting hurt as a result is me.
So I don't mean to be rude nor do I need to calm down (I don't think I was rude) and it is not a threat - I just want you to know, no, I do not intend on backing away from this matter. Something should be done to make this whole thing right or at least better than it is now because Page 1 of 5
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g g g there were real people impacted by what you did.
Again, I am embarrassed that I messed up a story. I had the good sense to look back at it 20 minutes later and pull it -- I should have issued a more thorough retraction perhaps, but I didn't have authority to write editorials.
I own that. That was not why I was fired. The fact that this was held up, with false facts and innuendo to be some piece of intentional agit-prop -- and you calling me basically Vladimir Putin (which is ironic given the play on words from your title) -- that's why I was fired. You know it, I know it, and my old boss just flat out said it to me multiple times now.
So, I hope very much you reflect on the following. Otherwise, again, I will have to go public and pursue legal action to remedy the harms that were incurred against me.
Thank you, Bill Moran (208)242-8413 On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 4:19 PM, KURT EICHENWALD <kurtewald@mac.com> wrote:
William….
Again, I want to reach a hand out to you and talk. But not if this is what we are going to be discussing. You screwed up — massively. You took an altered document and printed it as fact on a Russian website that was named publicly not four weeks ago by the Director of National Intelligence as being one of two key players in an ongoing Russian hacking/disinformation campaign. You need to ask yourself — how does someone like me who is deeply wired into the intelligence community know so fast that you had posted this? It’s not like I was sitting around reading Sputnik. Others are though, and they are not reading it 24-hours a day in real time for the purpose of keeping abreast of the news. If you are who you claim to be — just some naive American working in what you think is just a harmless foreign news site — then your departure from there is the best thing that can happen to you. I guarantee you one thing: there is already a file on you in one of the security intelligence divisions of the FBI. You have been playing in a sandbox surrounded by very large, and mostly unseen, players, engaged in games you don’t recognize. Here’s a simple one: I forget if it was Sputnik or another one, but recently there was a photo of Polish schoolchildren meeting with a Ukranian officials. That’s all. Sounds harmless right? Except now it has been used to drive a wedge between Poland snd Ukraine — that is not me saying so. US Intel operatives just revealed it. Spy craft is not what you see in a James Bond movie.
This has nothing to do with a “grudge.” I’m not even sure who you think I have a grudge against. All of the folks in the “I dont know reporting or intelligence” world are playing Scoobie-Doo mystery connect the dots. There are some things I know but I can’t tell you, but what I will say is that, as far as American intelligence agencies are concerned, the event involving this manipulated document is far from over. America is in the middle of a large-scale cyberwar with Russia; if you don’t know this, you need to read the coverage of what is going on, including the statements from the White House.
As for you...Continuing to work for an organization that has been designated by US intelligence as a primary player in intelligence disinformation campaigns could only serve to destroy your reputation. In truth, you should have resigned on September 26, when Sputnik was identified by the DNI for its role. Other reporters have left RT for that very reason; again, if you are just some innocent caught up in events larger than you understand, I would advise that you say the same thing. But, if your story is true, you have to accept a reality: you were not fired because of me. You were fired as the result of making a huge mistake on a very high-level playing field of massive current controversy, declaring an October surprise, then not correcting it.
What I was going to discuss with you was places you should consider working in Washington — ones that won’t serve to taint your reputation for the rest of your career. But I think we have to have that conversation after you take a realistic look at what you did, the circumstances in which it happened, and accept responsibility for your own actions. And if you don’t understand what you did wrong in snagging anonymous information off of the internet without reading the entire document, then reporting “an October surprise,” you need to think it through again. Then, if you want to move forward in a way that will actually provide you with future opportunities in journalism, I will talk to you about them. But whether you believe it or not, or understand it or not, Sputnik was a very dangerous place for you to be career-wise.
Let me know when you want to talk. But I think you need to take a few days.
Best, Kurt
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On Oct 13, 2016, at 2:32 PM, William Moran <wm87@georgetown.edu> wrote:
And my world has been flipped upside down in the past week because of statements in your story that are material misrepresentations or outright false statements as was established in the cease and desist letter. So this isn't something where I intend to shrug my shoulders and just move on.
What you did impacted my family and I and we did not deserve to be collateral damage in your grudge. On Thursday, October 13, 2016, William Moran <wm87@georgetown.edu> wrote:
208-242-8413 On Thursday, October 13, 2016, William Moran <wm87@georgetown.edu> wrote:
Free all day. Call me when convenient.
On Wed, Oct 12, 2016 at 7:02 PM, William Moran <wm87@georgetown.edu> wrote:
Note: If you want a good story that actually harms Trump - Google search John Oliver and Creflo Dollar (pastor who got his church to buy him a 2nd private jet). The religious TV network that Trump did his black outreach with features Creflo Dollar on their front page as their top show. Like everything, even that was a fraud. Also goes to a demographic, predatory behavior, etc.
At least it is an idea for what it is worth.
Cheers, Bill
On Wednesday, October 12, 2016, William Moran <wm87@georgetown.edu> wrote:
Note: charging my phone right now in case you are only free tonight. I know the realities of the job. On Wednesday, October 12, 2016, William Moran <wm87@georgetown.edu> wrote:
Can we speak tomorrow? Long time friend in town, phone dead, and wife circling me right now. I look forward to talking.
- Bill On Wednesday, October 12, 2016, KURT EICHENWALD <kurtewald@mac.com> wrote:
Let me give you a call later this evening. We can talk through your situation (not an interview, a helping hand) Sent from my iPhone On Oct 12, 2016, at 5:25 PM, William Moran <wm87@georgetown.edu> wrote:
1. I explain in the email sir. Saw the viral tweet. Read through tons of pages in a few minutes (too fast) and just completely botched it. That is separate from what was implied. By quite some distance. I was trying to be first, it was sloppy, and I realized it about 15 to 20 minutes later.
2. That does not make what you wrote in regards to the story, me, or the outlet in that specific instance right. And I can tell you having worked there, they couldn't be more wrong.
On Wednesday, October 12, 2016, KURT EICHENWALD <kurtewald@mac.com> wrote:
Sorry I blocked you last night. Was blocking 1000s as the attacks on my family started. Are you saying, while being so rushed to write 12 stories a day, you read a 10,000 word email that prints out to 75 pages long, found two sentences on page 19 which had been preceded by 22 mentions that it was from newsweek, wrote them up into a story proclaiming them to be an october surprise, and it was just something you overlooked? Or did you just pull unattributed junk off the internet and printed it as fact? Also, you need to know — Sputnik has been publicly identified by DNI as a source of Russian disinformation for campaigns against other countries, and was specifically identified as being part of the current hacking/rumor spreading campaign targeting the United States. Not something I made up. -Kurt Eichenwald Senior Writer Newsweek Contributing Editor VANITY FAIR
--
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Kurt Eichenwald Senior Writer Newsweek Contributing Editor VANITY FAIR 914-552-2588
-Kurt Eichenwald Senior Writer Newsweek Contributing Editor VANITY FAIR 914-552-2588
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