CNN is obsessed with Natalie Harp, shamefully interviews brother

“OutFront” host Erin Burnett interviewed the brother of Natalie Harp, the Trump aide who is suddenly under scrutiny after Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff implied there was some sort of inappropriate closeness there. Harp’s brother, Preston Harp, is estranged from her, and is not a public figure or notable person whatsoever, nor does he actually have firsthand knowledge about Harp’s relationship with President Trump. I repeat, they are estranged.

Those details all make Preston Harp a highly unsuitable figure for an interview on a national news program. It’s just bad form, and awkward, to induce family members of public figures to criticize them, unless they’re telling us something we need to know and couldn’t have learned any other way. That’s clearly not the case here. The interview comes off as very weird and obsessed with Harp in a gossipy sort of way.

It then veers into even more bizarre territory, as Preston Harp details his sister’s alleged infatuation with Trump , and Burnett drills down on that term.

I’m sorry, but there’s something sleazy about that. It’s like they’re trying to lead viewers to the conclusion that there’s something inappropriate about the relationship when, again, no one has presented a shred of evidence that this is the case. It’s all just projection and innuendo.

I think that’s unethical. It’s unethical for a journalist to try to leave her viewers with the impression that maybe there’s reason to think this young woman is having an affair with her boss, the president of the United States. It’s also morally suspect to involve the woman’s own brother in this effort.

Again, to be clear, if there was something going on, then yes, it would be news, and they could interview someone about it, although I still think the brother would be a weird choice. But it’s not news, because there’s no evidence. Yet mainstream media journalists feel totally justified to smear Natalie Harp.

Julie Brown, a reporter for The Miami Herald known for her sensationalist reporting on the Epstein files, referred to Harp as Trump’s side piece . Gross, gross stuff. Responding to the interview, Laura Loomer writes on X : “According to the media, being loyal to your boss is an “unhealthy obsession.”

She continues: “Everyone should wish they had an executive assistant as dedicated as Natalie Harp. Natalie is great. These stories will only make POTUS like her more. The media is beyond desperate.”

Beyond desperate indeed. But they just can’t help themselves.

Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.