Monday evening saw social media alight with lurid excitement over a melodrama between a former couple. That both players were prominent journalists made this notable, but given they already have a salacious history – one that led to a degree of career self-immolation just over a year ago – meant this took on added significance.
So yes, the pair has landed back in the scandal column, this time with a new batch of rumors and prominent names. First, it was last September when word spread that reporter Olivia Nuzzi had a non-physical personal relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a revelation made by her longtime partner, reporter Ryan Lizza, and confirmed by Nuzzi in a statement to The New York Times. However, Kennedy has denied the claims, releasing a statement at the time:
"Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece," a spokesperson for the presidential candidate told the media newsletter Status, which first reported on the alleged relationship, and other outlets.
Nuzzi has a memoir that will soon be released detailing particulars of the relationship, but just as her tome is prepared for release, Lizza has made a Substack post that reveals some new details involving his former paramour. If you have yet to learn these specifics, I recommend checking out his post; you may initially think you grasp what it is about, but you HAVE to read to the end for the big twist.
To learn that journalists strike up intimate relationships with private contacts is not surprising; this entails journalism and politics after all, professions with ethics below that of bookies and on par with casting agents in the porn industry. However, the key takeaway is how reporters can be exposed for engaging in morally and professionally unethical violations and yet enjoy career advancement as a result.
Nuzzi did have to leave her post at New York Magazine in the wake of last year’s revelations, but she has since risen to the role of West Coast Editor at Vanity Fair and managed to secure the above-referenced book deal. “American Canto” arrives in weeks, and an excerpt of her tortured prose is offered in her current publication.
Hers is not an isolated instance of questionable business practices, and then securing a role at a higher level. As we have come to learn, this industry is rather poor at policing itself, all while delivering lectures and bromides to political parties and other business sectors on how they should properly handle unethical examples.
Whistleblowers and Pigs
The Nuzzi melodrama brings to mind a past incident of tawdry journalism that did not seem to interrupt a career, all while involving the kind of content one might expect from an airport thriller novel: sex, secret contacts, international policy, a government agency overstepping authority, and one career in politics rendered while a reporter ascends the professional ladder.
The story goes that Ali Watkins, then working as a national security correspondent at Politico, was summoned one night in 2017 to a dark D.C. tavern to meet with a prospective new contact. Watkins had been ascending the professional ladder via stories she broke in the Russia collusion arena, coming to Politico from BuzzFeed (the site that broke the Steele dossier embargo).
Her new acquaintance, going by an alias, was less a potential source than he was looking to groom Watkins for a role in a government project. The man was ultimately revealed to be Jeffrey Rambo, and while he initially stated he worked at the Department of Homeland Security, he was specifically part of the Customs and Border Patrol, working in what was ultimately a rogue unit, granted freedom to operate in the margins and relying on internal invasive policies put in place from the Patriot Act.
Rambo’s division was tasked with going after forced labor issues in international regions, and he was involved with vetting those they saw as potential allies in their mission. This included journalists working abroad, who might cover stories to benefit their efforts. This was why he was seated across from Watkins that night.
Given his unit operating in the bureaucratic shadows and granted access to personal information in the freed-up post-9/11 environment, Rambo already had deep information on Watkins when they met. This included her travels for work, which made her a potential asset. It also meant he knew of her involvement with James Wolfe, a director of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Rambo discovered the reporter and Senate figure had made several international trips together. After their meeting, Rambo and his boss concluded this needed to be investigated further, and dubbed this side venture in their CBP division “Operation Whistle Pig,” based on the whiskey he ordered during the rendezvous. As a result, Wolfe was also included on their list of those people their division was “vetting.”
A short time later, when news emerged of the NSA contractor who leaked information, Reality Winner, the CBP saw “Whistle Pig” ramp up, which ultimately led to Rambo working with the FBI. He shared his collected info with agents, and months later, the bureau launched a media leaks unit, working further with Rambo. This eventually led to James Wolfe being indicted.
Then the CBP agent was undone by a counter-investigation – by Ali Watkins. A year after their meetup, and just after the Wolfe indictment, Jeffrey Rambo saw his real name splashed in the Washington Post, along with all of the details of his conversations with Watkins. This sparked outrage and investigations. The Associated Press, which had one of its reporters caught up in the controversy, revealed a DHS inspector general’s report leading to the discovery that the CBP had been conducting its “vetting” procedures on nearly two dozen reporters.
Front Page Pillow Talk
There is a gallows humor trope heard in journalism circles, about an apocryphal reporter fired for having an affair with a political figure: “They were not fired for sleeping with their source, they were fired for sleeping with them and not getting any exclusives.” Looking over her career path, Ali Watkins embodies this conceit seen in the news industry.
Watkins launched her career while working at McClatchy News Service. She was part of the team that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Some may ponder how a burgeoning reporter managed to achieve such journalism heights when she was a mere 20 years old.
The McClatchy nominations were “For timely coverage of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA torture, demonstrating initiative and perseverance in overcoming government efforts to hide the details.” Watkins and Wolfe were in their relationship at this time. The intel leaked to McClatchy came from the very source where Wolfe was positioned at the SSIC.
Watkins moved to BuzzFeed, where she continued to break stories with her intel, one of which ultimately became the focus of the FBI investigations and led to Wolfe’s indictment. Once their relationship was exposed, the two severed the relationship blithely.
Wolfe was charged and ultimately jailed, not specifically for leaking sensitive intelligence, but for lying to the FBI about his contacts with reporters. Watkins, all the while, saw her career trajectory continue to climb. She went on to Politico, and then ultimately landed her plum role at the New York Times.
At each subsequent phase of Watkins’ career, the outlets were well aware of her checkered history with Wolfe and the intel deriving (allegedly) from his post in the Senate. BuzzFeed was completely cool with her actions. Politico took Ali on despite knowledge of all the connections. The New York Times was fully aware, having covered the activities extensively.
What makes this salacious chicanery all the more preposterous is the level of projection and denial seen from the very players. Olivia Nuzzi, now coupled with a pair of D.C. figures, dared to post how offensive it was to see Hollywood insinuating that reporters might plunge into the Posturpedic with a politician.
We hear/see the term “self-own” used frequently, but it is rare to see it embodied so succinctly, perfectly, as this example. pic.twitter.com/R4ApshWiUJ
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) November 18, 2025
There was another example of this level of brazen denialism and completely hypocritical critiques of how their industry is shown in Hollywood – by none other than Ali Watkins herself.
The pure comedy of a reporter mocking the concept of corrupt behavior portrayed in entertainment -- WHILE engaged in that very behavior at the time.
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) November 19, 2025
Amazing pic.twitter.com/A3quUjpAFl
More than journalists engaging in honeypot-level decisions for the sake of breaking news items, the larger picture is the acceptance of this and downright encouragement from the news outlets themselves. The very people who love to lord over ethical matters and command others to comport themselves properly display every tendency to toss aside ethics in the pursuit of a breaking news item.
You have to savor the condescension from these corrupted sources. It’s like receiving a lesson on morality from the local pimp, as outlets treat their reporters like escorts in order to get the inside scoops for BREAKING news items.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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