Last week, Racket published “Lying Was the Only Plan Biden Ever Had in Ukraine,” after Joe Biden and National Security spokesman John Kirby declared Ukraine would be “overrun” and “lose the war” if Congress did not immediately pass a $61 billion aid package. After years of cheerleading, the abrupt proclamations, I wrote, “lifted the veil on years of untrammeled and proud — yet ultimately purposeless and sociopathic — lying by the Biden administration.”

This week, the Washington Post published almost exactly the same story, chronicling the same succession of “rosy assessments” on Ukraine offered by White House and military officials. However, the Post reversed the conclusion, faulting not the lies, but one accidental truth. “U.S. officials were ‘furious’ about leaks exposing Ukraine war concerns” is one of the more elaborate and ambitious spin jobs you’ll see. It’s impressive, but not easy to follow.

[I think it’s possible to see Teixeira as a malevolent actor while still reporting fairly that his leaks show that the Biden administration has tossed around a lot of BS about Ukraine and where our aid is going. That won’t do damage to Ukraine, but it might get a lot more accountability on how our money gets used and a more realistic picture of the conflict. I favor supporting Ukraine’s fight against an invasion by Russia, but I don’t favor blank checks. — Ed]