CQ's Embarassing Fake Interview With Kevin McCarthy

In an apparent case of mistaken identity, Congressional Quarterly published an interview with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy that did not take place, Politico reports.

In the original, since retracted story, reporter Amrita Khalid wrote that “California Republican Kevin McCarthy sat down with CQ Roll Call to discuss his outlook for the new members who will be elected in November to the 114th Congress.”

However – no such interview took place, and the lawmaker who spoke to Khalid — his identity remains unknown — offered several clues that he wasn’t McCarthy in the published interview text. For instance, the subject noted that he first came to Congress in 2011, while McCarthy was sworn in as a representative in 2007 and became the whip — the third ranking position in House leadership — in 2011.

The mistake is particularly egregious because CQ is an expensive subscription-only news product for insiders trusted for its sophisticated take.

“We’ve issued a correction and have nothing more to add,” a CQ spokesperson told Roll Call.