2/4
Despite the warnings, I did not dig deeply into Olivia’s past when we met.I took her at face value, and initially, I found her refreshing and surprisingly supportive of me, a fringe journalist navigating the outskirts of mainstream coverage.
Her meteoric rise in political journalism began in 2013. While still enrolled at Fordham University, she briefly interned for Anthony Weiner’s mayoral campaign. That stint ended in chaos after she wrote an unflattering piece about Weiner for the New York Daily News, prompting his communications director, Barbara Morgan, to call Nuzzi a “slutbag” in an explosive interview.
Morgan criticized Nuzzi's work ethic, claiming, “She sucked. She was clearly there because she wanted to be seen.” This sparked a media firestorm, but Nuzzi ultimately moved on, leaving Fordham early to work at The Daily Beast.
Her tendency to place herself at the center of scandals related to her coverage is undeniable.
Adding to her controversial methods,she once entered Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski’s home without permission. Olivia claimed that after knocking for several minutes and finding the door unlocked, she stepped inside briefly and snapped a photo of his foyer, later posting it online. Though criticized for trespassing, New York Magazine defended her, dismissing a legal threat from Lewandowski’s team.
Her personal life mirrored this chaos. Her now ex-fiancé, Ryan Lizza, a reporter for Politico’s Playbook, faced backlash for his own scandal: In 2017, he was fired from the New Yorker over allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct.
This week, another shocking bombshell dropped when Status reported on an “emotional, digital relationship” between Nuzzi and RFK Jr. from December 2023 to August 2024. Simultaneously, statements from both parties were aired. Nuzzi admitted to the relationship, stating, “Earlier this year, some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal. During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source. The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict.”RFK’s team responded swiftly, releasing a statement that said, “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.”
From there, a Twitter storm ensued.
The revelation was stunning — not just because of Kennedy’s stature but because Nuzzi was engaged to Ryan Lizza at the time. Lizza, in a statement to the New York Times, said, “Because of my connection to this story through my ex-fiancée, my editors and I have agreed that I won’t be involved in any coverage of Kennedy in Playbook or elsewhere at Politico.” Politico eventually included the story in Friday’s Playbook, without Lizza’s byline.
As this scandal unfolds, I find myself questioning the very instincts that led me to trust her as a friend in the first place. In hindsight,it’s clear our connection was anchored solely in her interest in RFK Jr. By befriending and infiltrating my inner circle, she could easily keep tabs on him as he (we) traveled across the country — something I initially mistook for simple journalistic curiosity. I, too, am a deeply curious person; I figured perhaps all reporters are wired this way. I saw no harm in sharing petty gossip about my experiences.
My husband was the first to voice concerns. From the beginning, he was skeptical of her motives, worried she was using me to gather gossip and leverage my access for her own benefit. I brushed off his concerns, but over time, I couldn’t ignore the signs.
As I reflect, my overall take is that I was a pawn.
It’s clear that her initial curiosity toward Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gradually morphed into something more, to which I offered insight and proximity. It started with innocent questions about his character, policies, and public appearances,but soon escalated into an invasive fixation on his personal life. Olivia would ask me almost intimate questions about him and his relationships with staff and his wife after each campaign stop — who he was seen talking to, what his mood was like, and whether he showed any signs of flirtation.
https://jessicareedkraus.substack.com/p/the-talented-ms-