Good evening from Washington, where Donald Trump booster and election truther Kari Lake is eyeing a new job. More on that below.
I went to a talk on Capitol Hill this week organized by Punchbowl News, the hyper-inside-the-Beltway media company that serves up insider reporting on Congress.
Jake Sherman, Punchbowl’s cofounder, interviewed Emily Sundberg of Feed Me about the success of her newsletter. She weighed in on the scene in Washington, including the TMZ invasion that’s beguiling the media class down here.
“I would love to see if someone could get their hands on their standards,” she said. Great idea. TMZ’s promise is to treat America’s politicians the same way it treats Andy Dick, but are its ground rules any different from those of the reporters already prowling Capitol Hill?
“My take, as one of their few direct competitors, is that their work is getting better and better as they find their stride,” congressional reporter Pablo Manríquez tells me, adding that he hopes the outlet will lean into accountability reporting. “This town needs motivated, lawyered-up tabloid muckrakers with a bone to pick on behalf of a national audience.”
So far it’s been more a curiosity than a force. I’ll reserve my judgment until it breaks some real news. In the meantime, if you have TMZ’s DC standards, send them over!
In this edition of Party Animals: After flaming out at the US Agency for Global Media, the department in charge of Voice of America, Lake is looking for a new gig in the Trump administration. Read on for a look at her wild time in Washington and what might come next.
Also mentioned in this issue: Kash Patel, Sarah Fitzpatrick, Ric Grenell, David Sacks, George Packer, Laura Loomer, Ruben Gallego, Marc Thiessen, Kristi Noem, and more.
Got tips? Hit the Party Animals hotline: aidan_mclaughlin@condenast.com. Or text me—my personal number is 917-817-8266. Complaints will be reserved for the question portion of an intimate talk. Praise will be given the TMZ treatment.
