The Times’ disgraceful smear of Nikki Haley

Hours after posting an online smear of Ambassador Nikki Haley, The New York Times on Friday afternoon corrected the article to make it clear she had nothing to do with the decision to spend $52,000 on mechanized curtains in her official New York residence. Hours of criticism had left the Gray Lady no other choice.

The original piece, headlined “Nikki Haley’s View of New York is Priceless. Her Curtains? $52,701,” snarked about the expense in a blatant effort to make Haley seem like several other Trump administration officials (mostly ex-officials) who demanded outrageous taxpayer-paid perks upon taking office.

Besides noting the expense — $29,900 for the curtains and $22,801 for automatic open-and-close hardware — the Times report flagged the fact that the installation came at a time when the State Department faced deep budget cuts and a hiring freeze.

Only at the end did the article mention that the plans to buy the tapestries were made in 2016, by the Obama State Department.

It took hours for criticism from the likes of CNN’s Jake Tapper (on Twitter) to move the Times to acknowledge key facts. It turns out the whole apartment is new: Career State employees determined the UN ambassador’s official digs had to change after a Chinese company bought the Waldorf-Astoria, the old site of the diplomatic residence.

All the furnishings, including the curtains, were chosen by State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations — as is standard for US diplomatic cribs all around the world. Haley had nothing to do with any of it.

So, as the Times’ correction notes, “The article should not have focused on Ms. Haley, nor should a picture of her have been used.”

All that’s still missing is an apology at least as public as the original smear.