Politico Editor Claims Credit for ‘Market-Moving Scoop’ on Mike Waltz Ouster — Mark Halperin Broke the News Two Hours Earlier

Politico senior executive editor Alex Burns gave his team credit for a “another market-moving scoop” on Thursday.

The only trouble is that Mark Halperin had broken the news two hours before Politico’s story on National Security Adviser Mike Waltz’s ouster. Halperin first tweeted about the White House’s plans to send Waltz packing at 8:35 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday.

Halperin went on to provide more detail on The Morning Meeting, his 2Way show, well before Politico reported, at 10:54 a.m. Eastern Time, that “President Donald Trump is planning to oust national security adviser Mike Waltz, who has lost the confidence of other administration officials.”

Nevertheless, Burns celebrated Politico’s story on X a little after 11 a.m. ET, deeming it “another market-moving scoop from this killer team.”

Among others, Marc Caputo of Axios pointed out that Burns’s claim was at best misleading.

“At 8:35 a.m., @MarkHalperin scooped the Waltz departure story, well before @politico’s 10:54 am post and the rest of us,” pointed out Caputo, screenshots in hand.

“Wait, they ARENT driving the market?!?!?” replied Jake Wilkins, Axios’s director of editorial communications.

Politico later clarified in its “Playbook PM” newsletter that Halperin had been the one to break news, as well as added the following line to its original story: “The White House’s intention to remove Waltz was previously reported by journalist Mark Halperin on his streamed show ‘The Morning Meeting.'”

Burns’s tweet remained up as to 2:40 p.m. ET.