Politico Has Lost All Credibility

“U.S. officials provided Taliban with names of Americans, Afghan allies to evacuate” ran a headline from Politico on 8/26/2021. Of course, this is a very serious claim, so Politico should check it very carefully and not rely on anonymous testimony that cannot be confirmed. As such, Politico relied on anonymous testimony that cannot be confirmed:

The move, detailed to POLITICO by three U.S. and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in Afghanistan’s capital city last week after the Taliban seized control of the country. It also came as the Biden administration has been relying on the Taliban for security outside the airport.

Who are these “U.S. and congressional officials”? Politico does not tell us. They also do not cite any primary sources for anything they claim in this article, outside of linking to another article from them on the recent bombing of a Kabul airport.

If a small blogger or a right-wing news outlet were to write this same article, they’d be laughed out of the room. Yet, Politico — which has spent all of 2021 going to bat for Republicans — is still seen as a reliable source by many, including some on the left. President Biden was even asked about these claims during his speech yesterday, with one reporting saying: