NYT Reporter Elizabeth Williamson Caught Fabricating Non-Response Claim in Grenell Hit Piece
The article instead framed his critical response as a non-answer and omitted the exchange, leading critics to accuse Williamson of deliberately misleading readers to portray Grenell as evasive.
Tommy Flynn
New York Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson published a March 16, 2026, article on Richard Grenell’s departure as president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, claiming Grenell “did not respond” to questions about his future and whether he would remain in government.
Grenell, a longtime Trump loyalist who served as ambassador to Germany, acting director of national intelligence, and special envoy to Venezuela and North Korea, immediately posted the full text exchange on X, proving he had replied on the record.
In the messages, Williamson asked about Grenell’s next role and comments on his “turbulent year” in the administration. Grenell responded directly: “You are such a left wing hack who is not interested in the truth, but interested in attacking Republicans and manipulating the news for your own far left agenda.” When Williamson threatened to write that he “declined to answer,” Grenell replied: “I didn’t decline to answer them. Lol. You just don’t get to approve the answers.”
The article instead framed his critical response as a non-answer and omitted the exchange, leading critics to accuse Williamson of deliberately misleading readers to portray Grenell as evasive.
Grenell has repeatedly criticized Williamson’s reporting on him for six years, calling the piece part of a pattern of biased attacks on conservatives. The Kennedy Center role was Grenell’s most recent position under Trump before his replacement.