Public radio station NPR failed to note that the former CIA officer who wrote in the Washington Post that his decision to leave the agency had nothing to do with politics gave $5,000 to Hillary Clinton, even after a "clarification" was added to his original column to disclose the political contribution.
Ned Price, a top national security spokesman for President Obama and aide to Ben Rhodes, made the media rounds after he wrote in the Washington Post that he was quitting the CIA because of President Trump's treatment of the intelligence community. Price wrote that he "reluctantly concluded that I cannot in good faith serve this administration as an intelligence professional," and that his "decision had nothing to do with politics."
Price did not write, however, that he contributed $5,000 to Clinton's effort to defeat Trump. The criticism over that omission eventually convinced the Washington Post to add a clarification to the top of his piece noting that "column should have included a disclosure of donations made" by Price.
Outlets such as NPR, which interviewed Price on his column in the days after it was published, failed to disclose the donation to listeners of its All Things Considered program. The interview is currently posted on NPR's website with no mention of Price's support for Clinton.
Price's donation was reported by the Washington Free Beacon prior to NPR's interview, which was conducted by national security correspondent Mary Louise Kelly.
Representatives for the show did not respond to inquiries into whether it had considered noting that Price made contributions to Clinton after the Washington Post added its clarification. NPR's ombudsman also did not respond to a request for comment on the decision.
Kelly did ask Price what he would say to critics who said that he was "politicizing intelligence" by quitting the CIA because of issues with Trump, but he denied any political motivation.
"The only axe I have to grind with President Trump is the way he has treated the intelligence community," Price told NPR. "Look, I will not hide the fact that I fervently disagree with many of the policies this administration has pursued. But what led me to this decision was comparing them to Nazis, accusing them of leaking, doubting their work."
The NPR interview also does not divulge the extent of Price's political work as a spokesman for the Obama White House. Price was a top assistant to deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes, and played a key role in the creation of the "echo chamber" that was used wielded by the administration to create positive press during nuclear negotiations with Iran, according to the New York Times.