The View's Barbara Walters: Swapping Favors With a Genocidal Maniac for an Exclusive Interview

Craven and disgusting doesn't begin to describe it.

Barbara Walters acted as a 'adoptive mother' and 'careers adviser' to a glamorous former aide of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.



...In a string of leaked emails between Sheherazad Jafaari and the celebrated broadcaster, Ms Walters, 82, promised to... help the 22-year-old secure a job on Piers Morgan's CNN show and win a place at Columbia University... Mrs Walters first began dealing with Ms Jaafari when ABC News was in talks to arrange the first and only televised interview for an American network with the Syrian leader.



...Ms Jafaari['s] father is Syria's U.S. ambassador... Ms Walters emailed Columbia Journalism School professor Richard Wald, former president of NBC News and vice president of ABC News, to sing Ms Jaafari's praises... 'She is brilliant, beautiful, speaks five languages. Anything you can do to help?' Ms Walters wrote at the end of January.

In short, Walters appeared to violate every journalistic canon just to secure an interview with a mass-murdering dictator.

Although CNN does seem to be an appropriate destination for Assad's pals, given its history with Eason Jordan and the like.


Hat tips: Mark Levin and CTV Photo (AP).