David Corn

Last updated
David Corn
Politics panel (11377)a (cropped, portrait).jpg
Corn at BookExpo America 2018
Born (1959-02-20) February 20, 1959 (age 65)
Education White Plains High School
Alma mater Brown University (BA)
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • Author
Employer Mother Jones (2007–present)
Notable work
SpouseWelmoed Laanstra
Children2
Awards George Polk Award (2012)
Website davidcorn.com

David Corn (born February 20, 1959) is an American political journalist and author. He is the Washington, D.C. bureau chief for Mother Jones and is best known as a cable television commentator. [1] Corn worked at The Nation from 1987 to 2007, where he served as Washington editor. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Corn was raised in a Jewish family [3] in White Plains, New York. [4] He graduated from White Plains High School in 1977. He attended Brown University, where he majored in history and worked for The Brown Daily Herald . [4] After his junior year, he interned at The Nation where he accepted a job as editorial assistant instead of returning to finish his degree. [4] He earned his remaining credits at Columbia University and received a B.A. from Brown in 1982. [4]

Corn in 2010 Bipartisan Policy Conference (5162918228) (cropped).jpg
Corn in 2010

Career

He was the Washington editor for The Nation [5] and has appeared regularly on FOX News, MSNBC, National Public Radio, and BloggingHeads.tv. He joined Mother Jones in 2007. [4] Corn appeared on FOX News more than sixty times, according to a tally by Politifact.com , before becoming a commentator on MSNBC. [6]

In February 2013, Corn was given the 2012 George Polk Award in journalism in the category of political reporting for his posting of a video and reporting of the "47 percent story", Republican nominee Mitt Romney's videoed meeting with donors during the 2012 presidential campaign. [7]

Books

Corn's first book was Blond Ghost: Ted Shackley and the CIA's Crusades, a 1994 biography of longtime Central Intelligence Agency official Theodore Shackley, which received mixed reviews. The book used Shackley's climb through the CIA bureaucracy to illustrate how the Agency worked and to follow some of its Cold War-era covert operations. In The Washington Post , Roger Warner called it "an impressive feat of research". In The New York Times , however, Joseph Finder asserted that Corn seriously distorted history to blame Shackley for a series of institutional CIA failings and pointed out a series of serious errors in the book. Among them, Finder said, was that Corn "recycled a long-discredited canard, much beloved by conspiracy theorists, that on the day of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the agency's chief of covert operations, Desmond Fitzgerald, met in Paris with one of the C.I.A.'s Cuban agents and gave him a 'ball-point pen' that could be used to inject Castro with a deadly toxin called Black Leaf 40. FitzGerald was actually the host of a lunch in Washington at the time, at the City Tavern Club in Georgetown." [8] [9]

Corn contributed a short story to Unusual Suspects (1996), a paperback collection of original crime stories. [10]

His novel, Deep Background (1999), is a conspiracy thriller about the assassination of a U.S. president at a White House press conference and the ensuing investigation. Reviews praised Corn's mastery of the political atmosphere and characters, although they split on whether this was a virtue or, coming towards the conclusion of Bill Clinton's term in office, already all-too-familiar territory. Reviewing the book in The New York Times, James Polk opined that although the book included dramatic scenes such as a "seedy nightspot catering to homosexual marines, an interagency hit squad, a high-class look, but don't touch escort service", the novel could not deliver "enough shocks left to sustain the genre". [11] [12]

Corn was a critic of Clinton's successor, President George W. Bush. Corn's next book, 2003's The Lies of George W. Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception, said that Bush had systematically "mugged the truth" as a political strategy, and he found fault with the media for failing to report this effectively. The book also broke with journalistic practice for its charge of lying, a word usually avoided as editorializing. [13] [14] In particular, Corn criticized many of the arguments offered to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and he challenged The New York Times columnist William Safire for claiming links between Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda. [15] In Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War , co-written by Michael Isikoff of Newsweek and Corn, they analyzed the Bush administration's drive toward the invasion. [16]

Corn with journalist Michael Isikoff co-wrote a book about the Donald Trump campaign and administration's ties with Russia and Russian hacking during the 2016 presidential campaign, including a history of similar Russian tactics during earlier administrations. [17] Their book, Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump , was released by Twelve in March 2018. [18]

The Plame affair

Corn was personally involved in the early coverage of the controversy over leaks to the media of the name of CIA officer Valerie Plame. After Robert Novak revealed Plame's identity in his July 14, 2003, column, Corn was among the first to report, several days later, that Plame had been working covertly. [19] [20] He also raised the possibility that the leak of her identity violated the Intelligence Identities Protection Act (IIPA); however, prosecutors found no evidence that those government officials who leaked her name knew she was a covert agent, and no official was ultimately charged with violating the IIPA. [21]

Novak, for his part, disputed that Plame had been a covert operative at the time her identity was revealed. He also objected to the negative portrayal of himself in Hubris, the book in part about the matter by Corn and Isikoff. Novak said of Corn, "Nobody was more responsible for bloating this episode". Novak felt that Corn was too close with former ambassador Joseph Wilson, Plame's husband and a key figure in criticism of the administration's arguments for invasion. [22] However, in early 2007, an unclassified summary of Valerie Plame's employment history at the CIA was disclosed for the first time in a court filing which confirmed that Plame was indeed a covert operative at the time Novak made her name public. [23]

Mitt Romney "47 Percent" video and George Polk Award

In announcing Corn's being awarded the George Polk Award for 2012, the sponsors wrote:

David Corn of Mother Jones will receive the George Polk Award for Political Reporting ... Through persistent digging and careful negotiation with a source, Corn secured a full recording of Romney at a $50,000-a-plate Florida fundraiser declaring that 47 percent of Americans — those who back President Obama — are "victims" who are "dependent upon government" and "pay no income tax". Corn worked for weeks to obtain the recording ... Furthermore, it was Corn's extensive previous reporting on Romney that convinced the source to trust him with its release. [24]

Corn's article that introduced the secret tape was published online on the Mother Jones on September 17, 2012. [25] [26] [27]

Sexual harassment allegations

On Nov. 7, 2017, Politico reported that Mother Jones magazine's editor and chief executive acknowledged "that they [had] investigated... Corn for inappropriate workplace behavior three years ago" and as a result, ended up "warning him about touching female staffers and insensitive descriptions of sexual violence". After additional new complaints, however Mother Jones editors said they would now probe the new allegations as well: One woman who worked with Corn "expressed concerns [he].. made 'rape jokes', regularly gave [several women] unwelcome shoulder rubs and engaged in uninvited touching of their legs, arms, backs, and waists". Another woman claimed that Corn "came up behind me and put his hands and arms around my body in a way that felt sexual and domineering". [28] [29]

After Corn promised to "do better and "make sure that it didn't happen again", there have been no new allegations, and the magazine determined that no further action was warranted. [30]

Works

Personal life

David Corn is married to Welmoed Laanstra, a curator. [31] [32] They have two children and live in Takoma Park, MD. [33] [34]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ari Fleischer</span> American media consultant (born 1960)

Lawrence Ari Fleischer is an American media consultant and political aide who served as the 23rd White House Press Secretary, for President George W. Bush, from January 2001 to July 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valerie Plame</span> American writer, spy novelist and former CIA officer (born 1963)

Valerie Elise Plame is an American writer, spy, novelist, and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. As the subject of the 2003 Plame affair, also known as the CIA leak scandal, Plame's identity as a CIA officer was leaked to and subsequently published by Robert Novak of The Washington Post. She described this period and the media firestorm that ensued as "mortifying, and I think I was in shock for a couple years".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Duberstein</span> American lobbyist and businessman (1944–2022)

Kenneth Marc Duberstein was an American lobbyist who served as U.S. president Ronald Reagan's White House Chief of Staff from 1988 to 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph C. Wilson</span> American diplomat (1949–2019)

Joseph Charles Wilson IV was an American diplomat who was best known for his 2002 trip to Niger to investigate allegations that Saddam Hussein was attempting to purchase yellowcake uranium; his New York Times op-ed piece, "What I Didn't Find in Africa"; and the subsequent leaking by the Bush/Cheney administration of information pertaining to the identity of his wife Valerie Plame as a CIA officer. He also served as the CEO of a consulting firm he founded, JC Wilson International Ventures, and as the vice chairman of Jarch Capital, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Howard Taft IV</span> American diplomat (born 1945)

William Howard Taft IV is an American diplomat and attorney who has served in the United States government under several Republican administrations. He is a son of William Howard Taft III and a great-grandson of President William Howard Taft.

Brewster Jennings & Associates was a front company set up in 1994 by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a cover for its officers. The most famous is Valerie Plame, a "covert employee of the CIA" whose then-classified status was published in a syndicated newspaper column by Robert Novak on July 14, 2003. Novak later said that his initial primary source was then-United States Deputy Secretary of State (2001–2005) Richard Armitage, though Armitage disagreed with Novak as to the extent of his role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Shackley</span> CIA officer

Theodore George "Ted" Shackley, Jr. was an American CIA officer involved in many important and controversial CIA operations during the 1960s and 1970s. He is one of the most decorated CIA officers. Due to his "light hair and mysterious ways", Shackley was known to his colleagues as "the Blond Ghost".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Isikoff</span> American investigative journalist (born 1952)

Michael Isikoff is an American investigative journalist who used to be the Chief Investigative Correspondent at Yahoo! News. He is the co-author with David Corn of the book titled Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump, published on March 13, 2018.

Larisa Alexandrovna is an American journalist, essayist, and poet. She has served as the managing editor of investigative news of The Raw Story and contributes opinion and columns to online publications such as Alternet. She is also an American blogger for the Huffington Post and for her own journalism blog, at-Largely. Alexandrovna has had her work referenced in publications like Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and Newsweek. She is married to Scott Horton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intelligence Identities Protection Act</span> United States federal law

The Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 is a United States federal law that makes it a federal crime for those with access to classified information, or those who systematically seek to identify and expose covert agents and have reason to believe that it will harm the foreign intelligence activities of the U.S., to intentionally reveal the identity of an agent whom one knows to be in or recently in certain covert roles with a U.S. intelligence agency, unless the United States has publicly acknowledged or revealed the relationship.

The Plame affair erupted in July 2003, when journalist Robert Novak revealed that Valerie Plame worked as covert employee of the Central Intelligence Agency, although the seeds of the scandal had been laid during 2001 and 2002 as the Bush administration investigated allegations that Iraq had purchased Nigerien uranium.

The Plame affair was a political scandal that revolved around journalist Robert Novak's public identification of Valerie Plame as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White House Iraq Group</span> Bush White House task force formed in Aug. 2002 preceding March 2003 Iraq invasion

The White House Iraq Group was a working group of the White House set up in August 2002 and tasked with disseminating information supporting the positions of the George W. Bush administration relating to a possible invasion of Iraq, which would subsequently take place in March 2003.

The CIA leak grand jury investigation was a federal inquiry "into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee's identity", a possible violation of criminal statutes, including the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, and Title 18, United States Code, Section 793.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Waas</span> American investigative journalist

Murray S. Waas is an American independent journalist and investigative journalist best known for his coverage of the White House planning for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and ensuing controversies and American political scandals such as the Plame affair. For much of his career, Waas focused on national security reporting, but has also written about social issues and corporate malfeasance. His articles about the second Iraq war and Plame affair matters have appeared in National Journal, where he has worked as a staff correspondent and contributing editor, The Atlantic, and, earlier The American Prospect.

The Plame affair was a dispute stemming from allegations that one or more White House officials revealed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent Valerie Plame Wilson's undercover status. An investigation, led by special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, was started, concerning the possibility that one or more crimes may have been committed. The initial focus was on Scooter Libby; however, he was not the primary source of the leak.

<i>Fair Game</i> (memoir) 2007 memoir by Valerie Plame Wilson

Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House is a memoir by Valerie Plame Wilson. Wilson is the former covert CIA officer whose then-classified non-official cover (NOC) identity as "Valerie Plame" was leaked to the press in July 2003, after her husband, former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, IV, had criticized the George W. Bush administration's rationale for the Iraq War. The outing made her the center of the American political scandal known as the Plame affair. Her public outing led to her decision to resign from the CIA in December 2005, when she attempted to retire early at the age of 42. Being told that she could not collect her pension until the age of 56, she determined to write this book both as a means of telling her own story in her own words and as a means of earning income to replace her deferred retirement annuity. She encountered resistance from the CIA in the course of chronicling her work with the organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Armitage (government official)</span> American diplomat and government official (born 1945)

Richard Lee Armitage is an American former diplomat and government official. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Armitage served as a U.S. Navy officer in three combat tours of duty in the Vietnam War as a riverine warfare advisor. After leaving active duty, he served in a number of civil-service roles under Republican administrations. He worked as an aide to Senator Bob Dole before serving in various posts in the Defense Department and State Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Rove</span> American political consultant and policy advisor (born 1950)

Karl Christian Rove is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August 31, 2007. He has also headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. Rove was one of the architects of the Iraq War.

<i>Fair Game</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Doug Liman

Fair Game is a 2010 biographical political drama film directed by Doug Liman and starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. It is based on Valerie Plame's 2007 memoir Fair Game and Joseph C. Wilson's 2004 memoir The Politics of Truth.

References

  1. "Observer". The New York Observer . Archived from the original on October 6, 2008.
  2. Jacobson, Louis (1999-10-22). "Leftist to His Own Devices". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  3. Bloom, Nate (November 13, 2012). "Politically Correct". Interfaith Family. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Brown Alumni Magazine: "You Don't Have to Trust Me" by Stephanie Grace May/June 2013
  5. "David Corn". The Nation. 2 April 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  6. Jon Greenberg. "Mother Jones reporter at center of Bill O'Reilly story: O'Reilly 'often' praised me". Politifact , Feb. 26, 2015.
  7. Monica Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery, "Mother Jones' David Corn Wins George Polk Award", Mother Jones, February 17, 2013.
  8. Warner, Roger. "The Spy as Bureaucrat". The Washington Post, October 23, 1994, p. WBK1.
  9. Finder, Joseph (October 23, 1994). "The Spy in the Gray Flannel Suit". The New York Times . p. 22. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024.
  10. Weeks, Linton. "They Wrote the Book on Fund-Raising". The Washington Post, May 15, 1996, p. B1.
  11. Whitten, Leslie H. Jr. (September 20, 1999), "Let the Secret Out: A Top-Notch Conspiracy Thriller", The Washington Post , p. C2, archived from the original on March 29, 2015.
  12. Polk, James. "The West Wing". New York Times Book Review, October 10, 1999, p. 25.
  13. Geoffrey Hodgson. "Trust Buster". The Washington Post, December 18, 2003, p. C3.
  14. Hertsgaard, Mark. "Chapter and verse on the need for regime change". Los Angeles Times, March 14, 2004, p. R3.
  15. Okrent, Daniel. "The Privileges of Opinion, the Obligations of Fact". The New York Times, March 28, 2004, p. 4.2.
  16. "Hubris, by David Corn and Michael Isikoff". In These Times. 27 August 2006.
  17. "'Russian Roulette' Authors Seek To Connect The Dots Between Trump And Putin". NPR.org.
  18. Myers, Steven Lee (March 14, 2018). "Was the 2016 Election a Game of 'Russian Roulette'?". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.
  19. Corn, David. "Nigergate Thuggery. Archived 2009-08-08 at the Wayback Machine " The Nation, August 4, 2003.
  20. Toensing, Victoria. "What a Load of Armitage!" The Wall Street Journal, September 15, 2006, p. A12.
  21. Howard Kurtz. "A Hot-Water Leak". The Washington Post, October 1, 2003, p. C1.
  22. Novak, Robert, "Who Said What When: The rise and fall of the Valerie Plame 'scandal.'" The Weekly Standard, October 16, 2006.
  23. Seidman, Joel (2007-05-29). "Plame was 'covert' agent at time of name leak". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-06-08.
  24. "LIU Announces 2012 George Polk Awards in Journalism" (press release), February 18, 2013.
  25. Corn, David. "SECRET VIDEO: Romney Tells Millionaire Donors What He REALLY Thinks of Obama Voters".
  26. Corn, David. "WATCH: Full Secret Video of Private Romney Fundraiser".
  27. How Mother Jones got the Romney '47 percent' story
  28. Michael Calderone. "David Corn investigated for inappropriate workplace behavior". Politico , Nov. 2, 2017.
  29. Victoria Stein. "Mother Jones's Star Journalist David Corn Accused of Sexual Harassmentz". Advocate , Nov. 6, 2017.
  30. Concha, Joe (2017-11-03). "Mother Jones bureau chief David Corn investigated for inappropriate conduct". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  31. Galbi, Douglas. "Contain, Maintain, Sustain rises at Artisphere". Ode Street Tribune. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  32. "Welmoed Laanstra". Americans for the Arts . Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  33. "A-6499" (PDF). Montgomery County, MD. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  34. "The 2012 Social List – Page 2". Washington Life Magazine. 7 February 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2022.