>>can't then open its eyes wide and protest political neutrality

>>I've been reading the Atlantic for a long time and I don't recall it ever claiming to be neutral.

What word would you use if allegations are denied by every real life person in attendance, even Trump detractors like Bolton, but the journal refuses to retract and now another candidate is using the smear for political ammunition. For the Atlantic you had used terms like Integrity, intellectual and liberal but none of those seems to apply to current behavior. For a start, this reliance on secret informants over all the witnesses actually present who are prepared to stand up and be counted: is that a liberal characteristic, or is it more usually associated with one of the political extremes?

Sheesh, from an observer with no iron in this fire: the more they do this, the more likely it is that Trump supporters will roll their eyes "here they go again with the fake news and crybullying" when the inevitable actual transgression is eventually uncovered. Trump must love the teflon coating the Atlantic has helped to gift him along with WAPO that just published another piece asking whether he's a Russian agent. All it needs now is for Nancy to start another impeachment to prevent his SCOTUS nomination and he'll romp in, thanks to activists who think they can fool all the people all the time.