How did Olivia Nuzzi become the worst scandal of the week?

Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 41 days left until the election and today we are talking about scandals.

I learned that various competitors might spin stories about me—an unhealthy carelessness that, I now see, has brought me nothing but too-tight jeans and belated embarrassment. I am having affairs with not one but two gentlemen: Ben and Jerry.

I’m not proud of it, but it’s true. There may even be pictures of me indulging in a drink, a spoonful in a mug or two. But in my defense, Ben and Jerry have helped me (together, I don’t think they did anything by themselves) with more than one difficult story. They’re a source of satisfaction, insight, and now, I hate to say it, public humiliation — because I know journalists aren’t supposed to deal with sources, but how could I say no?

Apparently, New York Super Fudge Chunk is to me what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is to now-suspended New York magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi.

Unless you’re a self-centered East Coast political journalist, you may have missed the 3,000 articles about Nuzzi, 31, who allegedly sent sexual messages to Señor Worm-brain, 70, after you wrote a story about him last year.

This is a big no-no in journalism, in case you hadn’t guessed. Editors generally hate any kind of sex appeal with sources, because it makes all reporters look like, well, British journalists, as Semaphor editor Ben Smith wrote, somehow, I guess, defending sex with sources?

I’ll leave you to read the juicy details of Nuzzi’s “humble acts,” but the long and short of it is that Nuzzi has been stigmatized for her lack of ethics. Fair enough.

But RFK Jr. — who is still a presidential candidate in many state elections — gets a pass.

He has not commented on the matter, but has allowed his “team” to run a circus claiming that he is the victim and that Nuzzi was pursuing him, even after he blocked her.

In the media frenzy to condemn Nuzzi — and again, she bears responsibility for her ethical lapses — the media is up to its ears in a serious double standard. I have yet to see a single reporter ask Kennedy if he sent the photos to Nuzzi. Or question his integrity or judgment, after his numerous affairs and even molestation of women. Or ask why he would send sex messages with a woman younger than some of his own children.

RFK Jr. is a public figure. Even if he doesn’t win (of course he won’t), he’s clearly traded his potential for upsetting results for a spot on Trump’s team. This guy could decide the future of the U.S. health care system if Trump wins. On Monday, he asked the Supreme Court for an injunction to get him back on the New York ballot, so he’s still in the running.

Why isn’t he getting as much scrutiny for this latest scandal as Nuzzi, who, quite frankly, the average American is not interested in at all?

I ask on behalf of 170 million women in America, most of whom know that it takes two to tango, even virtually.

But let’s move on to other scandals!

The “Black Nazis” Scandal

Mark Robinson, the conservative Republican running for governor of North Carolina, should probably send Nuzzi some champagne (No pictures! No pictures!) Because, improbably, her scandal has apparently knocked the wind out of him.

Last week, CNN published a shocking — and I use that word as someone who is not easily shocked — investigation into Robinson and his writings on a pornographic website called Nude Africa.

CNN reported that Robinson referred to himself as a “black NAZI!” on the site, in posts dating back more than a decade, and used slurs against a number of groups, including Jews, Muslims and blacks. He reportedly called Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” a “good read” and suggested that bringing back slavery would be a good thing. I don’t know, people, that’s a lot — and I’m not even touching on the sex.

But voters seem to shrug it off. Sure, Trump is keeping his distance for now (and Robinson denies any of the comments or posts are his, adding that they are all fake or generated by AI), but JD Vance seems completely unfazed.

He said this Monday at a rally in North Carolina, where Robinson was nowhere to be seen but reporters’ questions about him turned the crowd downright hostile:

“I was asked, I think, five questions. Three of them were about what Mark Robinson said or didn’t say on the bulletin board 20 years ago. As I said, it’s Mark Robinson’s job to present the case to the people of North Carolina. I won’t do it for him and the people of North Carolina; they’ll be the judge of whether to believe them or not. It’s really that simple.”

So, the Trump team’s big dodge on the sex scandal. A little surprise.

Melania’s Extracurricular Activities

Which brings us to Melania Trump, whose scandal is mild by comparison. This week, reports emerged that she may have charged hundreds of thousands ($247,500, to be exact) to speak before the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative LGBTQ rights group, in April. That’s not illegal, just maybe distasteful — it’s unclear who wrote the check. They say it wasn’t the Log Cabin people.

But the thing is, I’m with Melania on this one. Go for it, girl, and make money while you can. The former first lady has never made any secret of the fact that she wants to cash in on her White House fame — and if Donald is Plan A, can you blame her for having a Plan B?

So if you feel like buying her new “Vote for Freedom” necklace for $600, or a collector’s edition of her new book for $250, or even her Christmas ornament for $90, then go for it.

A woman’s got to earn a living, and this isn’t the biggest scandal of the week.

What else you should read

Required reading:The Long, Strange Saga of Kamala Harris and Kimberly Guilfoyle
Close :Shooter found guilty of mass killing at Colorado grocery store in 2021
Special LA Times article:California lawsuit accuses Exxon Mobil of misleading public about plastic recycling

Stay golden,
Anita Chabria

P.S. I’ll leave you with a story about a lucky cat named Rayne Beau (pronounced “Rainbow”) by my friend Ruben Vives. It’s about a cat from Salinas who traveled 800 miles alone to get back to the Golden State — and her parents.

Read here.

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