‘Harmless Fun’: NYT Faces Backlash After ‘Offensive’ Tweet About Kavanaugh Allegations

The New York Times opinion section faced backlash after it tweeted “offensive” comments Saturday while promoting a piece about allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The now-deleted tweet described a sexual act Kavanaugh allegedly did while he was a student at Yale University. The accompanying article by NYT reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly described the allegations against Kavanaugh.

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“We deleted a previous tweet regarding this article. It was offensive, and we apologize,” New York Times Opinion tweeted Saturday.

One of these allegations, “having a penis thrust in your face,” was described as “harmless fun” in the deleted NYT tweet. Many hit back on social media at the news outlet.

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“Shooting someone in the fucking face may seem like harmless fun but can lead to serious medical consequences — NYT, probably,” Charlotte Clymer, press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, tweeted. “Just so done with this nonsense. Jesus.”

Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice, wrote the tweet “very bad,” adding that “the editors’ framing of the piece as being about the culture on the Yale campus” was equally poor. The article is titled “Brett Kavanaugh Fit In With The Privileged Kids. She Did Not.”

“This is … such a profound lapse in judgment and common sense,” writer Roxane Gay tweeted.

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“How much worse can they get?” Democratic Virginia Senate nominee Qasim Rashid wondered. Capitol Hill staffer Stephanie Perera also tweeted that “sexual harassment is not harmless fun.”

President Donald Trump chimed in as well.

“Brett Kavanaugh should start suing people for libel, or the Justice Department should come to his rescue,” Trump tweeted Sunday morning. “The lies being told about him are unbelievable. False Accusations without recrimination. When does it stop? They are trying to influence his opinions. Can’t let that happen!”

The NYT posted a follow-up that called the “harmless fun” tweet “poorly phrased.” It deleted this as well before apologizing in a third tweet.

Kavanaugh, who Trump nominated, has denied the allegations. He took office in October 2018.

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