Thread by @ezralevant

1. About Erin O’Toole — some conspiracy theorists wonder if we really had an interview with him. It’s a weird question, since you can read the interview here: rebelnews.com/exclusive_erin… The whole interaction was done over email, so I’ll share some screenshots.

2. As you know, we had the scoop of the year with our TheChinaFiles.com story. We broke the news, it was reported around the world, from the @globeandmail to @TuckerCarlson. Huge story, right on brand for @erinotoole who raised it in question period.

3. O’Toole had a press conference on the story (my scoop!) I dialed in but oddly enough I wasn’t chosen to ask a question. The CBC got two and so did CP, even though they never actually asked about the documents. That’s odd. So I sent a DM to O’Toole who follows me on Twitter.

4. I was delighted to receive an email back from O’Toole’s press secretary, @ChelsMTucker. She said he was just too busy to do the interview that day.

5. No problem. But could Tucker please clarify: was O’Toole really just too busy, or was @AndrewScheer’s unpopular boycott of Rebel News still in effect? I asked twice: are you still banning us? If so, please tell me and I’ll stop pestering you! (Yellow highlights in original).

6. To my delight, Tucker wrote back assuring me that O’Toole was indeed engaging with us. We are members of the Independent Press Gallery, and O’Toole had a TV one-on-one with our Keean Bexte. It really just was a question of time — could we do it in writing instead?

6. Well, I wasn’t thrilled — we are a TV outlet, not a newspaper, we like video. Again I asked her if we were still banned. I grumbled a bit but I sent over my interview questions. Frankly, they were softballs.

7. And then I thought @ChelsMTucker panicked. Because I didn’t hear back. I assumed I wouldn’t — I assumed she was told by her bosses to keep the Scheer ban on Rebel News in place. But I kept asking. If the answer is “go away”, just say so. I checked four times.

8. I mean, seriously: when you Tories are done your S&M sessions with the CBC, come on over for a real question about a real issue. Or not.

9. And then — it was a Christmas miracle! — I got the answers to my interview questions. It was so late in the year, I didn’t want to have the story buried in the Christmas break. Since they were exclusive comments I knew I wouldn’t be scooped if I waited till after Christmas.

10. As you can see, the answers to my series of questions were written in the first person. “As Prime Minister I...”. So it was obviously from Erin O’Toole. But I was being meticulous. So I checked. Yup: it’s O’Toole (duh).

11. So that’s it. The entire exchange was by email — and you have just seen it all. I DM’d O’Toole, he had his assistant email me, I asked for a TV interview, they offered one by email instead, they finally sent over some good answers, to be quoted in the boss’s name. QED.

12. So what changed between Monday morning and Monday afternoon when O’Toole practiced a little cancel culture? Which he repeatedly promised he would stand up to? He folded in a matter of hours!

https://twitter.com/erinotoole/status/1280190966889091072

13. Did I misquote him? No, we published his answers verbatim. Did we engage in any questionable conduct? Of course not. Was it an interview? Of course — a series of questions and answers between a journalist and a politician. Done by email at their request.

14. My favourite line in the Globe story was thi: "“Mr. O’Toole did not have an interview with the Rebel and will not in the future,” Mr. O’Toole’s press secretary Chelsea Tucker said in an e-mail. She did not say why Mr. O’Toole’s office agreed to the interview." Ha!

15. So we're doing a poll -- should O'Toole ban Rebel News? Here's a video I did about the ban:

16. Here are the results so far: 73 people think we should be banned. 6,598 don't think so. What do you think? VOTE NOW! BanRebelNews.com

17. OK -- I've got to get back to work!

Thread continues here:

https://twitter.com/ezralevant/status/1349773459174338561?s=20