Melissa Joskow / Media Matters
On May 22, The Washington Post published an article detailing Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) work as a lawyer while she was also teaching, drawing mostly upon information Warren provided on her website and supplemented with additional Post reporting. While the article contained valuable information about Warren’s past career, the Post was criticized for its framing of the story, which seemingly attempted to scandalize the compensation Warren received as a bankruptcy attorney.
Warren’s campaign released a list of 56 cases that she had worked on, revealing undisclosed information about an aspect of her career that she doesn’t often discuss in public. Warren previously disclosed 13 cases she was involved in when, according to the Post, she “came under pressure from her Republican opponent and the news media to discuss her legal work” during her 2012 Senate campaign. The Post also independently found that “a wave of Warren’s legal work came in the early 2000s as manufacturing companies whose products contained asbestos were forced into bankruptcy by waves of personal injury claims.” The article also described Warren’s work consulting “for more than a dozen committees representing claimants and creditors in these cases, often in partnership with the law firm Caplin & Drysdale, for an hourly rate of $675.”
Digging into candidates’ career history is important in educating voters about them ahead of a presidential election. However, many media, political, and other figures were critical of the article -- particularly the headline's focus on Warren’s fee of $675 per hour.
Adam Serwer, The Atlantic
The framing of this story is really weird the substance and clients of Warren’s past legal work is a subject of public interest and worth reporting on https://t.co/oKcS2FptGe
— Adam Serwer🍝 (@AdamSerwer) May 23, 2019
Soledad O’Brien, Starfish Media Group
In other words, she was also a working lawyer. https://t.co/N7Lz1pbgzX
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) May 23, 2019
Jared Yates Sexton, political commentator
All right. Let’s talk about the Warren story. The headline is written the way it is because it attracts the most attention possible and that’s one of the problems with how our current media is set up and why they keep getting it so very wrong. 1/
— Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) May 23, 2019
Matthew Miller, MSNBC analyst
Many more than previously disclosed is the sort of language the press uses to manufacture a scandal where none exists. She‘s never been required to disclose them. Odd to see her being punished for actually being more transparent than most lawyers running for office are. https://t.co/QWU7q7q6EK
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) May 23, 2019
Keith Ellison, Minnesota attorney general
So what?! “Elizabeth Warren worked on more than 50 legal matters while teaching law”. Dumb story. https://t.co/C6p7Xb36WN
— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) May 23, 2019
Brian Beutler, Crooked Media
Breaking, lawyer practices law. https://t.co/07AwZLH2jv
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) May 23, 2019
Jason Linkins, ThinkProgress
don't look now but it would appear that Elizabeth Warren was once compensated for her labor
— Jason Linkins (@dceiver) May 23, 2019
Qasim Rashid, Virginia Senate District 28 candidate
While teaching, @ewarren worked on 50+ legal matters, charging up to $675/hour
In short—Senator Warren used her top tier legal skills to ***checks notes*** earn an income in a totally documented & transparent way🤯https://t.co/w4J5oNvMH1— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) May 23, 2019
Josh Marshall, TPM
Breaking: law profs do this https://t.co/6h5WxKPBne
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) May 23, 2019
Journalist Helen Kennedy
Why is this being presented as somehow underhanded?
https://t.co/nIB1aHD51f— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) May 23, 2019
Dan Baer, Colorado U.S. Senate candidate
Hey, @washingtonpost, this comes off as:
“Sure, run for President, Lady, but don’t be too ambitious or successful.”
Warren was a law prof at Harvard. The fact that she charged something less than the going rate for a senior partner at a law firm is not news. https://t.co/8mGTO36T0U— Dan Baer (@danbbaer) May 23, 2019
Ben White, Politico
All good to examine Warren’s legal work and her clients. I just object to the gotcha framing as if she isn’t supposed to get paid as a highly skilled and trained lawyer. https://t.co/DxwGSD41fj
— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) May 23, 2019
Frankly $675 an hour for Warren seems very very low.
— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) May 23, 2019
Bishop Talbert Swan, pastor
Look, @SenWarren ,a woman with a law degree had the audacity to teach at an Ivy League school and practice law at the same time... and get paid for it.
Tell me again why this is news.https://t.co/DT2xEaAhuN— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) May 23, 2019
Harry Litman, The Washington Post
They should be a non-story.. Professors do this all the time, if they can. Absolutely no ethics or scholarly problem.https://t.co/jey4woBmbS
— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) May 23, 2019
Parker Molloy, Media Matters
The people hyping this *really* want to turn this into the 2020 version of the Clinton speaking fee story — even though it’s even remotely the same. https://t.co/CCidwnx1KR
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) May 23, 2019
Matt Fuller, HuffPost
You mean to tell me there’s *proof* Elizabeth Warren was a successful lawyer, is not a socialist, and was an expert in her field?
Wow, this might really ruin her.— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) May 23, 2019
Jessica Mason Pieklo, Rewire News
That WaPo piece on Warren is dumb thank you for coming to my TEDTalk
— Jessica Mason Pieklo (@Hegemommy) May 23, 2019
Journalist Tom Watson
The timing of the “OMG Warren got paid!” stories is interesting. Kind of thing that often starts with a tip from a rival, in my experience.
— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) May 23, 2019
Podcast host Aaron Mahnke
Or maybe:
“Elizabeth Warren was so respected and skilled as an attorney that she commanded as much as $675 an hour for her services. Trump, on the other hand, couldn’t even run a casino successfully.”
Use that one. It actually makes a point. https://t.co/OvtIXtJoNl— Aaron Mahnke (@amahnke) May 23, 2019