Former CIA operations director John Stockwell explained how Langley works the US media:
Consider this exchange:
Charlie Rose: "We make them pay the price by killing Russians?"
@MichaelJMorell: "Yes."
"And killing Iranians?"
Morell: "Yes. Covertly."
WaPo's correspondents simply talked to the same "American intelligence officials" that planted the story w/ the NYT, or were furnished different ones who delivered the same story.