‘You Are Unhinged’: Leaked Breitbart Messages Reportedly Show Writers Revolting Over Pro-Trump Editor’s Rules
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File
CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy obtained screenshots of a Slack conversation between a top editor at Breitbart and some of its writers, in which Washington Bureau Chief Matt Boyle told writers that top management needed to “sign off” on any stories about Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
Boyle insisted that staffers at the far-right website needed an explicit go-ahead from him, editor-in-chief Alex Marlow, and CEO Larry Solov to publish articles about DeSantis at the decidedly pro-Trump outlet, reported CNN. The conversation comes amid former President Donald Trump’s ever-increasingly savage attacks on DeSantis, who is widely expected to challenge Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
“Hold off on the [Ron] DeSantis thing,” Boyle writes at one point in the conversation. Darcy adds that Boyle gave clear instructions to “pause stories on the Florida governor ahead of an expected 2024 run” and that he described “DeSantis as ‘inept.’”
“The terse command led to suspicion inside Breitbart that Boyle, who had already confessed he viewed DeSantis negatively, was trying to wield his power at the outlet to tilt the scales against the Sunshine State governor and in favor of Trump in the lead-up to the 2024 contest,” Darcy reported.
Breitbart has long been a key promoter of Donald Trump, who poached Steve Bannon from the website to run his 2016 presidential campaign.
Darcy recapped the rest of the conversation he reviewed, reporting that sports writer Dylan Gwinn pushed Boyle on why he needed his approval to cover a sports-related DeSantis commercial.
“I need your permission to do a story on a hilarious ad?” Gwinn asked.
“To do a story on a political and likely candidate for president yes you do. It’s not a sports story, it’s a politics story,” Boyle replied.
“Is this a new policy regarding all stories on all presidential candidates?” then asked senior writer John Nolte.
“You are to run anything on this by me. It’s not a new policy, it’s longstanding policy,” Boyle insisted.
“I’m unaware of this policy. I’ve literally written hundreds of stories on presidential candidates,” Nolte hit back.
“You are unhinged,” Gwinn replied, addressing Boyle.
Darcy explains the implications of the exchange:
The tense back and forth inside Breitbart reflects a growing tension inside the right-wing media universe writ large — one that could have consequences for national politics. Ahead of the 2024 Republican primary contest, battle lines are starting to be drawn. On one side, supporters of Trump. On the other, supporters of DeSantis.
