David Brooks in the Epstein Photos
Who should appear in the Epstein photo dump but Mr. Moral Quest himself, New York Times columnist David Brooks.
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David Brooks, pictured here looking supercilious, probably because he was served inferior deli meat, found himself embroiled in controversy last week for appearing in the Epstein file photo dump. Brooks is at some sort of event rubbing elbows with Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google.
His employer, the New York Times, was quick to cover his ass issue a statement.
“As a journalist, David Brooks regularly attends events to speak with noted and important business leaders to inform his columns, which is exactly what happened at this 2011 event,” the Times said in a statement to Semafor’s Max Tani. “Mr. Brooks had no contact with him before or after this single attendance at a widely-attended dinner.”
Nothing to see here!
But you think David Brooks would have at least mentioned meeting Jeffrey Epstein? Especially as he was so quick to scold us all for making such a big deal about the global sex trafficker.
Last month he wrote “The Epstein Story? Count Me Out” (gift link).
Why is Epstein the top issue in American life right now? Well, in an age in which more and more people get their news from short videos, if you’re in politics, the media or online it pays to focus on topics that are salacious, are easy to understand and allow you to offer self-confident opinions with no actual knowledge.
I dunno, David. You’ve made an entire career out of self-confident opinions with no actual knowledge.
Gosh Tracy, that’s mean.
Hey, the guy blames single mothers for the decline of civilization and poverty. I stand by my snark. Until he’s raised children while being owed thousands in back child support, he can STFU.
Brooks goes on to say we’re all susceptible to Qanon conspiracy theories. Epstein is an outlier!
What I don’t understand is why some Democrats are hopping on this bandwagon. They may believe that the Epstein file release will somehow hurt Trump. But they are undermining public trust and sowing public cynicism in ways that make the entire progressive project impossible. They are contributing to a public atmosphere in which right-wing populism naturally thrives.
Dude, releasing the Epstein files has been an all-too-rare bipartisan effort. Also, I’m familiar with this cheater mindfuck you’re employing.
STOP ASKING QUESTIONS!
Don’t you know your lack of trust will poison our marriage! Your irrational anger is undermining this fragile reconciliation! This entire project is impossible, not because a Great Crime was committed, but because you are reacting to it all wrong!
I’m just saying that a guy who left his wife for his much younger research assistant might be familiar with this kind of rhetoric.
Jeffery Epstein is a curious blindspot for a man who staked his entire reputation on being Mr. Moral Character. (Chucking one’s wife, notwithstanding.) Could David Brooks be pathologically clueless?
I know a thing or two about the American elite, ahem, and if you’ve read my work, you may be sick of my assaults on the educated elites for being insular, self-indulgent and smug.
Oh David, you’re lunch pail, Joe there, huh? Friend of the working class? The same David Brooks who derided his friend for charcuterie ignorance? The same David Brooks who put the Sissinghurst spoon rest on his wedding registry? I think you know a few things about being insular, self-indulgent, and smug, Sir.
The Epstein class is ‘inaccurate.’
But the phrase “the Epstein class” is inaccurate, unfair and irresponsible. Say what you will about our financial, educational, nonprofit and political elites, but they are not mass rapists.
Well, I guess we’ll never know if this giant cover up continues, but it sure does appear that a lot of elites don’t hold a little pedophilia against a fellow bro. David Brooks attended this event with Epstein after Epstein’s arrest. Again, curious company for the author of The Second Mountain: The Quest for the Moral Life.
Hey, Tracy, you gotta go where the sinners are.
Yes, I’m sure David Brooks was just there to shame them all for their elitism.
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You can read my other snark on David Brooks here:
My internal SHOCK-O-METER gave “David Brooks at an Epstein Event” a 2 out of 10.
How does the saying go…where there’s smoke, there’s fire…This is all image management for the elites…they are scared now because whatever goodwill and trust was left, is now gone. Pass the popcorn because it’s getting interesting.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has noticed–the loudest public voices arguing for morality are the same people whose personal and sexual morals are awful. Anybody who would dump their long-term wife for a younger underling is a piece of trash. I don’t care how much they pontificate about saving the planet or preserving culture or whatever is the cause of the week. They are still a piece of trash. Integrity is about doing the right thing when nobody is watching. People who cheat do not have integrity.
I don’t know much about Brooks but FW narcopath was apparently telling acquaintances how disgusted he was by his own FW father cheating and abandoning the family. I had no idea he was cos-playing this moral character, he never wanted to discuss FIL at home
*** immediately googling “David Brooks Wife” ***
Googled it — yup yup yup
re: this “widely-attended dinner.”
Were any women over 25 invited? Any Black people? Any leaders who aren’t straight and white and men? Imagine walking into a dinner — on a private island! — and the only attendees are straight, white guys. Wouldn’t that tell you that you should back right the eff up and walk out? Are you powerful people gathered around to solve problems? If not, why not? If so, what’s with the circle jerk? Why are you there?
straight, white men who are privileged and in their 50s and 60s for the most part. ewwwwww.
You can learn a lot about a person by observing the company that they keep.
LFTT
My thoughts exactly. If character counts for you, being with these horrible people isn’t going to be something you want to do. Not at all.
One of the joys of being post-divorce is that I choose who is in my inner circle and who I’m with. I’m beyond worrying about my career, unhealthy obligations, and being seen in general. I exercise “no” quite a bit. All good.
I was at a major state event before the presidential primaries when a noxious candidate approached, hand outstretched and national media cameras trailing behind. I panicked, terrified I’d be photographed shaking hands with that man. I did the only thing I could think of. I turned my back.
“As a journalist, David Brooks regularly attends events to speak with noted and important business leaders to inform his columns, which is exactly what happened at this 2011 event,” the Times said … “Mr. Brooks had no contact with him before or after this single attendance at a widely-attended dinner.”
Journalists attend conferences and media events and briefings to speak with sources. A widely-attended dinner is not the place or time to get an interview. If Mr. Brooks wanted to get information, he could have used the phone. He went to that dinner because he wanted to be there. Perhaps he wanted to see what was going on, but that’s not what The NYT said in its
excuseexplanation.Having just recalled recently, my now Ex, pulling his cloak around him as he told stories of” other “Pediphiles who.almost got to his daughter. Then Silence but then Friendship towards his brother in law who was a molester??? I ALSO recalled the SILENCE when I spoke of men doing porn and hurting their wives in their intimate life. All the while he was one with all the above. Perhaps there is a pecking order in crimes against woman and children. Perhaps Epstein in the epitome of the male ladder of evil. But I wonder, in this good ol boy club of CYA how long Epstein will stay evil?
Meanwhile, back at the little people’s ranch. Cheaty and I had plenty of conversations about morality and ethics. He knew exactly where I stood on the subject of infidelity and of course, he agreed. And yet he still managed to create an affair using delusion rationalization. Turns out that flexible ethics were his “especiality”.
The New York Times? Making excuses for and downplaying cheating and other deviant sexual behavior? Say it ain’t so, Fearless Leader!
Aren’t these the same raft of idiots that told us that we need to be nicer to those Coldplay cheaters?
So knowing ahead of time(that’s what that was…right?) that the guy was going to ping WHEN the Epstein files got released…the best cover they had for the idiot was “we knew he was there, he was being a journalist, and he had no other contact (except that he did?)”
Was their damage control really so flimsy that it was immediately disarmed by an infidelity blogger? (granted our Fearless Leader may actually be one of the best journalists going, ahem).
I have found it curious, if not telling that few if any of the people whose names appear in the Epstein dump elected to get ahead of the issue and release similar statements. It’s almost like they were hoping it would get quashed and if nothing else the people who had them wouldn’t throw them under the bus to get the stank off of them. The joys of corporate culture! “We don’t need to get ahead of an issue nobody finds out about.”
That’s the thing about the secret sexual basement-it’s a secret! And that’s what makes it so thrilling to them! They get to be high and mighty about everything else and then the world owes them some strange. Or something.
I feel like I am about do for a re-read of The Scarlet Letter. It’s been over a decade, but I feel the undercurrent of “we outed this person for villainy just to cover up our own great evil” is still culturally relevant.
EDIT: My my, Christmas brain has me truncating posts!
Have a Mighty Monday!
I’m sure his second wife thought she made a great “catch” poaching him from his first wife just so she could put a $ 16 spoon rest from Anthropologie on their wedding registry. Did she know he had attended a dinner with Epstein just after he (Epstein) had been all over the news? Would it have made any difference to her? Perhaps not. Maybe it was just another way for him (David Brooks) to rub shoulders with the rich and powerful, and that was all that mattered.
This is what I came here for today, thank you! I was going to send Tracy an article about Brooks being in the Epstein files but then I thought, “Nah, she’ll be all over it,” and she did not disappoint. The gift article was a nice touch, and I especially appreciate the opportunity to look back on some of Chumplady’s best takedowns of one of the most obnoxious and hypocritical asshats ever to occupy such a bully pulpit.
Brooks is such a smarmy knob. He’s a hypocritical disingenuous blob of snail goo (no hard feelings toward snails.) The fact that he changed religions to match Little Miss Research Assistant really ices the grotesque cake. Ironically, the earlier wife appliance, the one who birthed and I’ll bet raised his kids, changed hers way back when they married. What do you bet that he pressured her, way back when?