The New York Times was sharply criticized for publishing a fictional account of a Russian assassin shooting dead Donald Trump in a story described as an ‘assassination fantasy’ by observers.
One of the short stories on the Times' online Book Review page, which will be published in Sunday's print edition, is titled 'How it Ends' by Zoe Sharp.
The short story is described as a spy thriller about a drunken Russian’s plot to murder the president with a Makarov pistol.
Sharp’s story does not specifically mention Trump by name. However the collection of stories is headlined 'Five novelists imagine Trump’s next chapter’ and the graphic bears an uncanny resemblance to the President.
Editors said that the Mueller probe and Trump’s relationship with Putin is 'one of the biggest stories out there'.
As a result the paper enlisted ‘today’s most talented spy and crime novelists’ to come up with fictional possible outcomes.
Special counsel Robert Mueller and multiple congressional committees are looking into allegations that there was collusion between Russian operatives and Trump associates during the presidential campaign and transition.
On January 13 2017, the Senate Select Committee announced that it was conducting a probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 Presidential Election.
Sharp took to Twitter to say that she was honored to be included in the prestigious paper.
Sharp tweeted: ‘The Russian waited until they were a few steps past before he drew the gun.
'He sighted on the center of the president’s back, and squeezed the trigger. The Makarov misfired’.
Sharp went on to write that the failed assassination attempt resulted in the disappointed Russian would-be-killer tasting failure and waiting for the Secret Service to intervene.
‘He closed his eyes and waited to pay the cost. It did not come. He opened his eyes.
‘The Secret Service agent stood before him, presenting his Glock, butt first,' Sharp wrote. Here,’ the agent said politely. ‘Use mine…’
She then goes on to give a colorful illustration of the Russian assassin who was prepared to die after killing the president.
She adds: ‘The Russian drank on alone. Throughout his career, he would have spent these hours going over the plan, the escape route. This time, there was no escape route — only honor. And death.
‘At 7 am, he showered. The bar of soap had the hotel name stamped into both sides. He made sure to wash his ass with it. Then he shaved and ate a last room-service breakfast’.
A Times spokesperson told Fox News: ‘It's very clear what this is: a work of fiction, commissioned by editors of the Book Review as part of a package of five stories penned by a range of spy and crime novelists -- in the Halloween edition’.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders called the story 'absolutely abhorrent and disgraceful' during an appearance on Fox & Friends on Thursday.
Media Research center analyst Clay Waters sharply criticised the short story 'disgusting' and labeled it a Trump assassination fantasy.
In a blog he wrote: ‘Sharp fantasizes that Vladimir Putin, having handpicked Trump, must now get rid of him before the impeached and disgraced president spills the beans and embarrasses Mother Russia.
‘The clincher is maximally offensive, with traitorous behavior by a Secret Service agent added to the assassination of an actual living president’.
No comments:
Post a Comment