Obama pushing for Warren? Report meets skepticism

President Obama has promised Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) his support if she runs for the White House, according to the New York Post.

{mosads}The story, which led the Post on Sunday, is written by author Edward Klein, who has written several books critical of Obama and former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.

Klein has also been heavily criticized on the left and right for salacious scoops backed up by thin sourcing.

His latest piece claims that Obama “authorized his authorized his chief political adviser, Valerie Jarrett, to conduct a full-court press to convince Warren to throw her hat into the ring.”

Klein writes that Jarrett “has held a series of secret meetings with Warren. During these meetings, Jarrett has explained to Warren that Obama is worried that if Hillary [Clinton] succeeds him in the White House, she will undo many of his policies.”

Klein’s past works have generated criticism from the left and right, with commentators on both sides, from the White House press shop to The Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan, accusing him of getting things wrong.

The latest story also met heavy skepticism, though it was also picked up by a number of media outlets.

On Twitter, Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith accused Klein of writing a “fake scoop.”

.@nypost used to have great Clinton coverage. Now Ed Klein is piping random fake scoops for them. http://t.co/208REzgfz7

— Ben Smith (@BuzzFeedBen) July 6, 2014

Ezra Klein, Vox.com’s editor-in-chief, also weighed in on Twitter.

Whoa if true (but it’s not true): http://t.co/3jTQ6oiMmh

— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) July 6, 2014

Edward Klein himself said he ran the story past a “well-informed Democratic operative,” who said it’s “all bulls—t.”

“The media is creating a Hillary Clinton-Elizabeth Warren rivalry to hype the storyline,” that operative reportedly said. “If Warren dared to challenge Hillary, women all over America would never forgive her. She’d lose all her credibility.”

The White House and Warren’s office have not commented on Klein’s story.