Are you kidding me? You are great. It’s your profession to ask hard questions in order to get to the truth. I am very appreciative that you don’t bend to nobody. We love you unconditionally. I will always continue to support your work. You are very important person in a time of chaos and crisis in our country. Keep fighting and doing what you are doing. You are a class act and your media business will continue growing. Thanks Tara
hard question ?....BS....this Ms. Palmeri sounded like a highschooler trying to do an interview....unprofessional and pathetic....anyone subscribing to her should ask for a refund.
I thought your interview was fair and her response was a reflection of her inexperience. She’ll hopefully learn impulsive actions and answers are usually regretted.
I find your reporting very well done without overt bias. That’s why I subscribe! I need to hear both sides to be fully informed.
Some perspective-taking is probably in order here.
She is 26 years old and was just indicted by a lawless administration hell bent on making examples of political rivals. Having never been indicted for anything, I can totally understand why Kat was very tightly wound and unwilling to answer anything about the incident - anything she said probably could and would be held against her in a court of law.
Tara - read the room. Kat tried to draw the lines straight away, then you put up evidence that will clearly be shown at her trial, and asked her to comment on it. What were you expecting to get out of that exchange? She very clearly freaked out and disconnected from the stream.
Kat—you should have just gone radio silent on this entire exchange. Going nuclear on Tara just accentuated your immaturity.
Couple things you said which peeps are all agreeing to that shouldn’t.
-There is no “proof” of her damaging anything. Even in the video.
- she didn’t go nuclear at all. She politely said thank you and ended the interview after the third time having charges stated to her (which as she said, not exactly what they were).
- fact, these ice people are the criminals. Literally are the criminals and committing felonies by the hour.
I do agree with read the room. And I get that Tara wasn’t trying to set her up. But after the third time reverberating the bs charges, Kat politely said thank you for having me on and ended the interview.
One thing that Everyone is missing is the -arrested and charged- reality. While most All of you are Not protesting and only tapping and following in multiple unsocial media forums, You are f ing clueless to what -arrested and charged- really entails. How protesters are treated behind those walls and how the victims of felonious charges regurgitated to them can’t tell the public how they were abused behind those walls. Do a fucking story about that so these key tapping peeps in here that are too good to actually fight in REAL LIFE can at least learn the unsocial media truth in dialog.
I never said that video was proof of anything - what I did say is that the video is evidence that will be used in court. Any lawyer will tell Kat to keep her mouth shut about any evidence that will be used against her.
You said it yourself - ICE are criminals. Criminals that will take anything Kat says and use it against her in court. She could have said the sky was blue in that video and they would have said that was proof she was a member of the Bluesky terrorist network.
Any good interviewer knows how to read their guest - Tara didn't. Not only was she tone-deaf to the situation going in, she then ignored her guests very clear signals to back off the subject because she is the subject of a criminal investigation.
You apparently didn't see Kat’s all-caps online reaction to the interview.
Finally, just do a quick google about this incident to see how much damage Tara did. The social media comments are largely questioning Kat’s readiness for congress based solely on her disconnecting from the stream.
Copy that. And agree 100% what a lawyer would say.
Oh shit, I didn’t know the rest of it. I’m not giving weight to “social media comments especially on other forums. It’s not that big of a deal. Tara was not trying to do anything. Kat was still in trauma mode. You could see it on her face. The repeating of the charges was a bit overboard to start the interview. I think anyways. But it really isn’t that big and can be smoothed out in a short time. If that is going to make Kat quit, then she wouldn’t handle being in the mix. My gut feeling is she’ll be ok in time. Thats just my little tiny unsocial media opinion.
There is no terrorist network. That won’t fly in court.
Your approach to journalism and pursuit of the truth makes you a treasure for those of us who depend upon your special insights related to what is really going on in a “story.” These days it seems as though there is a critical new story everyday. Sometimes these stories come in bunches. I have chosen to be one of your founders because I hold you in such high regard as a trustworthy source. I learn from you and your reporting. You possess extraordinary skills as a podcast host and interviewer. It’s obvious by the high caliber of your guests that they respect you too. Tara Palmeri is fearless. Quite honestly, I marvel at your courage. It’s such a volatile time we are in, and both of us know that it’s likely going to get even bumpier. To write about people and events in the manner you do takes guts. Because you possess strength, courage and wisdom you are able to handle the slings and arrows. Keep going, Tara Palmeri, and know that you have the full support of countless many such as me.
Dear Tara -- I absolutely admire your independence, and respect your determination to do it your way. When you pressed Michael Cohen in ways that nobody else had the guts (or forethought) to muster, I cheered from the rooftops. Am with you in many if not most things, and generally think you're awesome.
All that said: I was one of the people in yesterday's YouTube pile-up, where my equally-independent conclusion was that the interview sucked, more on your end than hers. And I hope that, with some distance, you'll see how you maybe could have handled it better. Not all disagreements are echo chamber-based. And a little humility never hurts, either.
For me, the punchline is that we're all just people. And if you really love people, you don't expect them to be perfect. Nine times out of ten, I think you're a fucking champ. And those are really good odds, statistically.
So please keep doing what you're doing, and know that many of us are ferociously proud of you. There's something to be said for coming in swinging. But if you do nothing but swing when someone walks in the door, I wouldn't be surprised if a certain percentage walk straight back out. Which is what I saw happen with Kat. JUST SAYIN'!
While I understand the sentiment you are getting at and completely agree with 94% of what you wrote, I think you are missing the bigger issue here. She could've said, "sorry I can't answer any more questions about this bc it's an ongoing legal matter" etc. without just hitting the eject button. There's a right and wrong way to handle things. She acted like a child, plain and simple. And she's running for public office. Quite telling, IMO, and I hope the voters of her state take note of her behavior if they are considering voting for her.
Skipp- I understand it is potentially strange being the Tara critic in a forum where there will certainly be a Pro-Tara bend in the comments, so I respect the position you are in and won’t shout at you.
My only question is that I think you are being unfair to any reporter saying that the interview sucked, as you say, when the full interview was aborted. Even if one would agree with you that the interview sucked, wouldn’t you agree that the entire exchange could have been brought more into context or salvaged if the interview was going to proceed to its full length? It’s like saying the baseball game sucked when you were forced to walk out in inning 1.
Dear Steve -- If I were forced to walk out of a baseball game in Inning 1, I would probably say, "Well, THAT sucked!" And if I came to the other team's stadium to play, and immediately sensed that it was not gonna be a fair game, odds are good that I'd go, "Fuck it. I'm out."
So I guess all I'm saying is that if -- for example -- Tara had started with, "So you're being indicted for this thing that just happened. I know you can't talk about the details of an ongoing case, but can you tell us why you were there, and what you were hoping to achieve?", then she might have gotten Kat to open up. In which case, we would have learned anything at all about her perspective on the larger situation.
THEN you start asking hard questions, because you've operated in clear good faith. And maybe she would have told us some interesting shit that DIDN'T set off any legal landmines.
If Kat bailed at that point -- like, she couldn't handle the heat of a balanced perspective -- then maybe yeah, she has no business in politics, which gets ugly as fuck at the drop of a hat. But that's not what I saw. I saw someone who smelled an ambush, and went, "I got better things to do."
Again: I think Tara's amazing. That's why I subscribe, and will continue to do so. I think she screwed the pooch on this one, and kinda wish she hadn't, cuz I was genuinely interested. I also think this is no big deal, and not a deal-breaker in any way, shape, or form.
Hope that makes sense! And thanks for engaging in thoughtful, legit conversation. That's totally what I'd expect on a badass Substack like the most excellent Red Letter.
Yeah, you said that really nice. Love Tara and respect her big time. But she should read what you wrote and learn a little something from it. Agreeing with everyone that say you are great and not responding to those who are doing what she asked, “what do you think” is a tad bit convenient. Learn from it and move on with what you can learn from it. Be better and above all the rest that’s out there. Btw I just got bitched at by an emergency service call because I took too long repairing it. Why, because they didn’t like the cost of their neglect. I got paid but the next time I get a call from them, I’m not answering it. Good night 😴
I didn’t find the questions to be untoward. I think she may not have expected the picture (which hardly shows her as a threat to law enforcement) so she exited. Your work is good enough for me to subscribe and to look forward to what you offer each day. But stay away from both sides and right down the middle. Sounds good, some say fair and balanced. But, often there’s more than two sides and other times there’s only the truth. And, right down the middle of what? Those canards create a permission structure for the trump depravity we have now.
That interview was so hard to watch. Took me a couple of tries just to get through the few minutes that are there because it is so difficult.
In the end though, Kat Abughazaleh is only 26 years old. She's still a kid at least when it comes to emotional development. I think she expected to get some slack from you because of your work with the Epstein files and that you are female. She assumed that you are on her side and would just let her coast through.
Reading these comments makes me question how many actually watched it.
Kat politely said she couldn't discuss 3 times, yet you continued and then pull out the video and ask about specifics. At that point it seemed like this was the - only - thing you were interested in despite your claims you had all these other things to discuss. She thanked you politely and disconnected, as is her right.
No smart person facing an extremely retaliatory admin and legal machine would answer you about specifics of the case.
The "Katie Porter moment" post makes it seem even more so that you were looking for some viral gotcha here.
Beside it not even being an accurate comparison on circumstances surrounding these two people, it smacks of inserting yourself in the story and reads like a Fox News headline.
Honestly, I have no idea what you expected of her. It doesn't seem like an honest approach.
While your questions were not softballs, there were nothing particularly pointed. If she could not answer specifics on her case, she could state that and ask if you would redirect the questions. You gave her a platform and she did not do herself any favors unless one is already a fan. Thank you for being independent. Many of your colleagues sold their souls and I am glad you are not one of them.
Please do not be deterred by the rude or foolish behavior of your interview subjects. You are well aware of your role and professional responsibilities. Social media or no, young phenoms or not,slippery candidates must always be held to account. This fellow (ex) Jerseyan stands with you.
Are you kidding me? You are great. It’s your profession to ask hard questions in order to get to the truth. I am very appreciative that you don’t bend to nobody. We love you unconditionally. I will always continue to support your work. You are very important person in a time of chaos and crisis in our country. Keep fighting and doing what you are doing. You are a class act and your media business will continue growing. Thanks Tara
Thank you Mark
hard question ?....BS....this Ms. Palmeri sounded like a highschooler trying to do an interview....unprofessional and pathetic....anyone subscribing to her should ask for a refund.
I thought your interview was fair and her response was a reflection of her inexperience. She’ll hopefully learn impulsive actions and answers are usually regretted.
I find your reporting very well done without overt bias. That’s why I subscribe! I need to hear both sides to be fully informed.
Thank you Leslie!
Some perspective-taking is probably in order here.
She is 26 years old and was just indicted by a lawless administration hell bent on making examples of political rivals. Having never been indicted for anything, I can totally understand why Kat was very tightly wound and unwilling to answer anything about the incident - anything she said probably could and would be held against her in a court of law.
Tara - read the room. Kat tried to draw the lines straight away, then you put up evidence that will clearly be shown at her trial, and asked her to comment on it. What were you expecting to get out of that exchange? She very clearly freaked out and disconnected from the stream.
Kat—you should have just gone radio silent on this entire exchange. Going nuclear on Tara just accentuated your immaturity.
Couple things you said which peeps are all agreeing to that shouldn’t.
-There is no “proof” of her damaging anything. Even in the video.
- she didn’t go nuclear at all. She politely said thank you and ended the interview after the third time having charges stated to her (which as she said, not exactly what they were).
- fact, these ice people are the criminals. Literally are the criminals and committing felonies by the hour.
I do agree with read the room. And I get that Tara wasn’t trying to set her up. But after the third time reverberating the bs charges, Kat politely said thank you for having me on and ended the interview.
One thing that Everyone is missing is the -arrested and charged- reality. While most All of you are Not protesting and only tapping and following in multiple unsocial media forums, You are f ing clueless to what -arrested and charged- really entails. How protesters are treated behind those walls and how the victims of felonious charges regurgitated to them can’t tell the public how they were abused behind those walls. Do a fucking story about that so these key tapping peeps in here that are too good to actually fight in REAL LIFE can at least learn the unsocial media truth in dialog.
Cheers 🥂
I never said that video was proof of anything - what I did say is that the video is evidence that will be used in court. Any lawyer will tell Kat to keep her mouth shut about any evidence that will be used against her.
You said it yourself - ICE are criminals. Criminals that will take anything Kat says and use it against her in court. She could have said the sky was blue in that video and they would have said that was proof she was a member of the Bluesky terrorist network.
Any good interviewer knows how to read their guest - Tara didn't. Not only was she tone-deaf to the situation going in, she then ignored her guests very clear signals to back off the subject because she is the subject of a criminal investigation.
You apparently didn't see Kat’s all-caps online reaction to the interview.
Finally, just do a quick google about this incident to see how much damage Tara did. The social media comments are largely questioning Kat’s readiness for congress based solely on her disconnecting from the stream.
Copy that. And agree 100% what a lawyer would say.
Oh shit, I didn’t know the rest of it. I’m not giving weight to “social media comments especially on other forums. It’s not that big of a deal. Tara was not trying to do anything. Kat was still in trauma mode. You could see it on her face. The repeating of the charges was a bit overboard to start the interview. I think anyways. But it really isn’t that big and can be smoothed out in a short time. If that is going to make Kat quit, then she wouldn’t handle being in the mix. My gut feeling is she’ll be ok in time. Thats just my little tiny unsocial media opinion.
There is no terrorist network. That won’t fly in court.
Yep that’s why I’m here! Thank you for your fair reporting and incredible scoops!
Thank you David! I appreciate your support
Your approach to journalism and pursuit of the truth makes you a treasure for those of us who depend upon your special insights related to what is really going on in a “story.” These days it seems as though there is a critical new story everyday. Sometimes these stories come in bunches. I have chosen to be one of your founders because I hold you in such high regard as a trustworthy source. I learn from you and your reporting. You possess extraordinary skills as a podcast host and interviewer. It’s obvious by the high caliber of your guests that they respect you too. Tara Palmeri is fearless. Quite honestly, I marvel at your courage. It’s such a volatile time we are in, and both of us know that it’s likely going to get even bumpier. To write about people and events in the manner you do takes guts. Because you possess strength, courage and wisdom you are able to handle the slings and arrows. Keep going, Tara Palmeri, and know that you have the full support of countless many such as me.
Thank you Frank, I really appreciate your support
Dear Tara -- I absolutely admire your independence, and respect your determination to do it your way. When you pressed Michael Cohen in ways that nobody else had the guts (or forethought) to muster, I cheered from the rooftops. Am with you in many if not most things, and generally think you're awesome.
All that said: I was one of the people in yesterday's YouTube pile-up, where my equally-independent conclusion was that the interview sucked, more on your end than hers. And I hope that, with some distance, you'll see how you maybe could have handled it better. Not all disagreements are echo chamber-based. And a little humility never hurts, either.
For me, the punchline is that we're all just people. And if you really love people, you don't expect them to be perfect. Nine times out of ten, I think you're a fucking champ. And those are really good odds, statistically.
So please keep doing what you're doing, and know that many of us are ferociously proud of you. There's something to be said for coming in swinging. But if you do nothing but swing when someone walks in the door, I wouldn't be surprised if a certain percentage walk straight back out. Which is what I saw happen with Kat. JUST SAYIN'!
Yer pal in the trenches,
Skipp
While I understand the sentiment you are getting at and completely agree with 94% of what you wrote, I think you are missing the bigger issue here. She could've said, "sorry I can't answer any more questions about this bc it's an ongoing legal matter" etc. without just hitting the eject button. There's a right and wrong way to handle things. She acted like a child, plain and simple. And she's running for public office. Quite telling, IMO, and I hope the voters of her state take note of her behavior if they are considering voting for her.
Skipp- I understand it is potentially strange being the Tara critic in a forum where there will certainly be a Pro-Tara bend in the comments, so I respect the position you are in and won’t shout at you.
My only question is that I think you are being unfair to any reporter saying that the interview sucked, as you say, when the full interview was aborted. Even if one would agree with you that the interview sucked, wouldn’t you agree that the entire exchange could have been brought more into context or salvaged if the interview was going to proceed to its full length? It’s like saying the baseball game sucked when you were forced to walk out in inning 1.
Dear Steve -- If I were forced to walk out of a baseball game in Inning 1, I would probably say, "Well, THAT sucked!" And if I came to the other team's stadium to play, and immediately sensed that it was not gonna be a fair game, odds are good that I'd go, "Fuck it. I'm out."
So I guess all I'm saying is that if -- for example -- Tara had started with, "So you're being indicted for this thing that just happened. I know you can't talk about the details of an ongoing case, but can you tell us why you were there, and what you were hoping to achieve?", then she might have gotten Kat to open up. In which case, we would have learned anything at all about her perspective on the larger situation.
THEN you start asking hard questions, because you've operated in clear good faith. And maybe she would have told us some interesting shit that DIDN'T set off any legal landmines.
If Kat bailed at that point -- like, she couldn't handle the heat of a balanced perspective -- then maybe yeah, she has no business in politics, which gets ugly as fuck at the drop of a hat. But that's not what I saw. I saw someone who smelled an ambush, and went, "I got better things to do."
Again: I think Tara's amazing. That's why I subscribe, and will continue to do so. I think she screwed the pooch on this one, and kinda wish she hadn't, cuz I was genuinely interested. I also think this is no big deal, and not a deal-breaker in any way, shape, or form.
Hope that makes sense! And thanks for engaging in thoughtful, legit conversation. That's totally what I'd expect on a badass Substack like the most excellent Red Letter.
Yeah, you said that really nice. Love Tara and respect her big time. But she should read what you wrote and learn a little something from it. Agreeing with everyone that say you are great and not responding to those who are doing what she asked, “what do you think” is a tad bit convenient. Learn from it and move on with what you can learn from it. Be better and above all the rest that’s out there. Btw I just got bitched at by an emergency service call because I took too long repairing it. Why, because they didn’t like the cost of their neglect. I got paid but the next time I get a call from them, I’m not answering it. Good night 😴
I didn’t find the questions to be untoward. I think she may not have expected the picture (which hardly shows her as a threat to law enforcement) so she exited. Your work is good enough for me to subscribe and to look forward to what you offer each day. But stay away from both sides and right down the middle. Sounds good, some say fair and balanced. But, often there’s more than two sides and other times there’s only the truth. And, right down the middle of what? Those canards create a permission structure for the trump depravity we have now.
Thank you Richard
Fantastic Tara! We need folks like you to Stand Tall!.."No Retreat, No Surrender " as that A certain Jersey native like you would say 😎
Thanks Daniel
I wouldn’t subscribe to a partisan hack. Thank you for not being one
That interview was so hard to watch. Took me a couple of tries just to get through the few minutes that are there because it is so difficult.
In the end though, Kat Abughazaleh is only 26 years old. She's still a kid at least when it comes to emotional development. I think she expected to get some slack from you because of your work with the Epstein files and that you are female. She assumed that you are on her side and would just let her coast through.
Good job though on your part.
Maybe. I wasn't against her and didnt see this as a gotcha. She had the power to answer how she wanted
Reading these comments makes me question how many actually watched it.
Kat politely said she couldn't discuss 3 times, yet you continued and then pull out the video and ask about specifics. At that point it seemed like this was the - only - thing you were interested in despite your claims you had all these other things to discuss. She thanked you politely and disconnected, as is her right.
No smart person facing an extremely retaliatory admin and legal machine would answer you about specifics of the case.
The "Katie Porter moment" post makes it seem even more so that you were looking for some viral gotcha here.
Beside it not even being an accurate comparison on circumstances surrounding these two people, it smacks of inserting yourself in the story and reads like a Fox News headline.
Honestly, I have no idea what you expected of her. It doesn't seem like an honest approach.
I've thought all your interviews have been fair and informative. However it was this one that got me to finally become a paid subscriber.
Thanks Karen
While your questions were not softballs, there were nothing particularly pointed. If she could not answer specifics on her case, she could state that and ask if you would redirect the questions. You gave her a platform and she did not do herself any favors unless one is already a fan. Thank you for being independent. Many of your colleagues sold their souls and I am glad you are not one of them.
I appreciate your efforts to report what you find without any partisan spin.
I believe she could not speak because you needed to consult attorneys about her indictment.
Please do not be deterred by the rude or foolish behavior of your interview subjects. You are well aware of your role and professional responsibilities. Social media or no, young phenoms or not,slippery candidates must always be held to account. This fellow (ex) Jerseyan stands with you.