Newsweek settles with Sputnik writer – The Hill

Newsweek has settled a libel complaint with a former Sputnik writer that included allegations of Newsweek's Kurt Eichenwald using bribery and threats to buy the editor's silence over a false story regarding Russia, President Trump and WikiLeaks that was later deleted.

Sputnik writer Bill Moran had written a piece that included a misattributed quote that Trump, then a presidential candidate, used in a speech that same day.

Upon realizing a mistake had been made, Moran took the story down, but not before Trump had read it and mentioned it at a rally in Pennsylvania.

But Eichenwald, a senior writer at Newsweek, had concluded the only way Trump could have learned about the "misattributed quote was purposeful collusion with the Russians, and that the Wikileaks documents themselves had been altered," according to Paste.

The 56-year-old Eichenwald, also an MSNBC contributor, offered "to either help [Moran] get a job at New Republic, in seeming exchange for silence, or update the piece with a paragraph naming him. This latter option came with a warning that aligning himself with Sputnik made him unhirable," according to Paste.

Eichenwald has since erased his employment at Newsweek from his Twitter bio. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange noted the deletion in a tweet on Sunday.

Has Newsweek fired its "senior writer" @KurtEichenwald after libel complaint? Bio changed to remove 'Newsweek' https://t.co/jP6ZEcRe1r pic.twitter.com/H2QF26JoIb

The Hill has reached out to Newsweek for comment.

The lawsuit was settled amicably and to my satisfaction, Moran said. After the settlement, the stories were removed, the parties agreed not to speak about the terms of the settlement, so I cant talk to you about what the settlement entails.

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Newsweek settles with Sputnik writer - The Hill