The Mirror

WaPo’s Gene Robinson Gets Fooled By Autograph Bandit

Betsy Rothstein Gossip blogger
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By Mirror contributor Evan Gahr

Washington Post columnist and MSNBC analyst Eugene Robinson, after months of ignoring inquiries, last week finally addressed the publication’s black ad salesman who is suing for racial discrimination.

Well, sort of.

Last week, Robinson was duped into autographing his book about black people for David DeJesus. The Chicago native worked at WaPo with distinction for nearly 20 years until his foul-mouthed white boss abruptly fired him in 2013 for alleged insubordination.

Robinson, who offers readers and MSNBC viewers nothing but the ability to validate their own low grade bigotry against whites, conservatives and Republicans, has maintained see no evil stance on DeJesus’s explosive lawsuit.
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What a contrast with his frequent contentions that the tea party’s feverish opposition to President Obama is racially motivated.

Of course it is, Gene. Conservatives were so restrained in their opposition to the white Bill Clinton.

Oh, wait. Not exactly.

Christine O’Donnell, later a tea party Senate candidate, and many other deep thinkers on the right, contended that Bill Clinton may have offed his first White House counsel. And let’s not forget how they seized upon questionable allegations by a woman named Juanita Broaddrick that Clinton raped her in a Little Rock hotel room.

In any event, tea party activists certainly have their faults — bouts of paranoia, humorlessness and allegedly paying Breitbart News for coverage.

But purging dozens of blacks from their employ and replacing them with younger cheaper whites—as DeJesus alleges that WaPo did—is not one of them. In fact, some tea party groups don’t seem to have any salaried employees—just a bunch of volunteers working out of somebody’s living room. Or, as the case may be, underground bunker.

And while race baiting the tea party is a good way for Robinson to insure that his MSNBC contract is renewed, talking about credible allegations of racism against your own employer would take real courage.

This Mirror contributor finally caught up to Robinson after he moderated a panel an April 9 panel at MSNBC Al Sharpton’s National Action Network conference in New York.

Would he be so good as to autograph his book for my friend Dave DeJesus?

Robinson agreed.

After all, what kind of pompous twit would not readily autograph his work for a fan?

Oh, yeah. That would be one Erik Wemple, whose rarely reported Washington Post media blog failed to note last week that the paper just laid off business employees.

Wemple, whose wife, Mother JonesStephanie Mencimer, was once arrested for throwing doggie doo-doo at an unsuspecting woman and was then, according to Wemple, cleared, took some three months before agreeing to a request from “Bertram” to autograph one of his blog posts for DeJesus. He said he had to get informal “authorization” from Mencimer before sending off his autograph.

Wemple shouldn’t feel too bad for being so dumb. WaPo‘s Bob Woodward also fell for the prank.

WaPo media reporter Paul Farhi, who obsesses about the lack of “diversity” at Saturday Night Live, but won’t cover the DeJesus lawsuit, outright refused a request from “Bertram” to autograph one of his articles for his friend Dave.

But Robinson offered up his John Hancock right away. “To Dave DeJesus,” the veteran Postie wrote. “Best Wishes Eugene Robinson.”

Robinson was reminded that DeJesus is the guy suing WaPo for racial discrimination.

“Yeah. Yeah,” he stammered. “ I heard a little bit about that. And I remember him.”

Actually, he has heard quite a lot about it since the lawsuit was filed in July 2013.

Robinson was previously emailed the actual lawsuit, plus affidavits by three older blacks who claimed they were forced out of WaPo. One woman alleges that a white WaPo sales manager named Ethan Selzer made racist remarks about another employee and even her own husband.

Robinson actually knows DeJesus well. They have lunched in the WaPo cafeteria, hopefully not when it was infested with mice.

Strange how all that slipped Robinson’s mind.

But, Gene, now that your memory has been jogged, are you going to write about it?

Robinson: “Um. I don’t know.”

Evan Gahr: “Well. What is keeping [you from writing about it]? Here is an affidavit saying that [black Posties] were subjected to racist jokes.”

Robinson: “OK. OK. I would be happy to take a look at it.”

Evan Gahr: “Do you want to write about it?”

Robinson: “I need to know more about it.”

Evan Gahr: “What do you need to know? I just gave you an affidavit. There was a white manager telling a black woman to clean the kitchen.

Robinson: “Well, I need to read it.”

Evan Gahr: “How are you going to do that?”

Robinson: “I am not going to do it with your iPhone in my face trying to ambush me and get me to say something.”

Evan Gahr: “Oh, all of a sudden you are camera shy?”

Robinson: “For some agenda that you have that I am not aware of.”

Evan Gahr: “You have the agenda because you are covering for your own employer.”

Robinson walked away in a huff.