Don Jr: New York Times No Longer the Paper of Record

The New York Times is no longer the “paper of record,” according to Donald Trump Jr., who reacted to the paper’s latest fake news story in a tweet posted Saturday afternoon.

“If the @nytimes is still the so called ‘paper of record,’ it’s only because they continue to set RECORDS for the amount of Fake News they print,” Don Jr. tweeted.

The tweet was in response to an earlier Breitbart News report on the New York Times‘ fake news story on the status of Harriet Tubman’s $20 bill. The Times‘ accusatory piece, published Friday, centered around Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s rationale for supposedly delaying the rollout of the redesigned bill from 2020 to 2028. The original report dripped with baseless accusations and theories, even going as far as suggesting that Mnuchin “delayed” the design to avoid conflict with President Trump, who is fond of the traditional $20 bill featuring Andrew Jackson.

“Current and former department officials say Mr. Mnuchin chose the delay to avoid the possibility that Mr. Trump would cancel the plan outright and create even more controversy,” the Times‘ piece read.

That, of course, was proven to be pure conjecture.

Furthermore, the Times cited an anonymous employee of the bureau, who claimed to have viewed a digital image of what was supposedly the redesigned bill. With that information alone, the Times subtly implied that the Trump administration was deliberately “delaying” the bill for political reasons and political reasons alone.

The New York Times reported:

Bureau of Engraving and Printing Director Len Olijar pushed back on the Times‘ misleading report, explaining that a 2020 release was nothing more than wishful thinking, at best. It takes years to design and finalize a redesigned bill and implement the advanced security features that go along with it.

Olijar mentioned the redesigned $100 bill featuring the blue security thread. While it has been an instrumental success in “thwarting counterfeiting,” the feature took a decade to finalize.

Olijar’s statement read in part:

Moreover, BEP was never going to unveil a note design in 2020. To keep our currency safe and secure, it is unwise to give counterfeiters a look at a potential future note far in advance of a note going into circulation. Additionally, if the concept of a note that was made public by the government were to change during that lengthy amount of time, it would create confusion in the global marketplace, further aiding counterfeiters.”

No Bureau or Department official has ‘scrapped’ anything; it is too early to develop an integrated concept or design until security features are finalized. The aesthetics or look of the note has always come after and been driven by the security features. Everything remains on the table.

Olijar added that the paper’s “exclusive” sneak peek of the Tubman note was nothing more than a “copy of an old Series note with the signatures of former officials, with a different image super-imposed on it.”

“It is not a new $20 note, as incorrectly stated by the New York Times, in any way, shape or form,” Olijar said in the statement. “The facsimile contained no security features or offset printing included on currency notes.”

Senior Adviser for Public Affairs to the Secretary of the Treasury, Monica Crowley, also released a scathing statement in reaction to the New York Times report.

“The scheduled release (printing) of the $20 bill is on a timetable consistent with the previous administration,” Crowley stated.

“The Secretary at this point is focused on security features and anti-counterfeiting measures related to the currency,” she continued. “The suggestion that the process is being delayed is completely erroneous.”