Todd Stanley Purdum (born December 13, 1959) is an American journalist who works as a national editor and political correspondent for '' Vanity Fair''.

Early life and education

Purdum is a son of Jerry S. Purdum, a

Macomb, Illinois Macomb is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois, southwest of Galesburg. The city is about southwest of Peoria and south of the Quad Cities. A special census held in ...

insurance broker, investor and realtor, and Connie Purdum. He graduated from St. Paul's School in 1978 and from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in 1982 where he was a member of the

University Press Club The University Press Club is an organization of Princeton University undergraduates who work as professional freelance journalists for local, regional, and national publications. It is the only student-run group of its kind in the country. Press ...

Career

Until late 2005, Purdum was a reporter and the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

bureau chief for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. From 1994 to 1997, he was a

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

correspondent for the ''Times''. He is now the national editor for '' Vanity Fair'' magazine. He was hired as staff writer for ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' in July 2018.

Coverage of Bill Clinton

For the July 2008 issue of ''Vanity Fair'', Purdum wrote a scathing article about

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, "The Comeback Id". The article analyzed Clinton's post-presidency business dealings, behavior, and possible personal indiscretions, citing several anonymous current and former Clinton aides. When asked about the article by '' Huffington Post'' writer Mayhill Fowler, Clinton said (in reference to Purdum): "He's a really dishonest reporter... and I haven't read (the article). There's just five or six blatant lies in there. But he's a real slimy guy." When Fowler reminded Clinton that Purdum is married to his former press secretary, he responded: "That's all right – he's still a scumbag." He later added, "He's just a dishonest guy – can't help it." Clinton went on to observe, "It's all politics. It's all about the bias of the media for Obama. Don't think anything about it. But I'm telling ya, all it's doing is driving her supporters further and further away – because they know exactly what it is – this has been the most rigged coverage in modern history – and the guy ought to be ashamed of himself. But he has no shame. It isn't the first dishonest piece he's written about me or her." The following day, Jay Carson, a spokesman for

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

's presidential campaign, stated that Clinton regretted those remarks, but their factual content remained unchallenged by the Clintons.

Books

* ''A Time Of Our Choosing: America's

War In Iraq This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Iraq and its predecessor states. Other armed conflicts involving Iraq * Wars during Mandatory Iraq ** Ikhwan raid on South Iraq 1921 * Smaller conflicts, revolutions, coups and periphery confli ...

'' (

Times Books Times Books (previously the New York Times Book Company) is a publishing imprint owned by the New York Times Company and licensed to Henry Holt and Company. Times Books began as the New York Times Book Company in 1969, when The New York Times Com ...

, 2004) * ''An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Two Presidents, Two Parties, and the Battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964'' ( Henry Holt and Company, 2014) * ''Something Wonderful:

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

's Broadway Revolution'' ( Henry Holt and Company, 2018)

Personal life

Purdum married Tiffany Windsor Bluemle in 1987; the couple were subsequently divorced. In 1997, he married former White House Press Secretary

Dee Dee Myers Margaret Jane "Dee Dee" Myers (born September 1, 1961) is an American political analyst who served as the 19th White House Press Secretary during the first two years of the Clinton administration. She was the first woman and the second-youngest p ...

, who served President

from 1993 to 1994. Their relationship is the basis for the relationship between

C.J. Cregg Claudia Jean Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the American television drama ''The West Wing''. From the beginning of the series in 1999 until the sixth season in 2004, she was the White House Press Secretary in the ad ...

and

Danny Concannon The television series ''The West Wing'' is a political drama series which was originally broadcast on NBC. During its seven seasons the ensemble cast of stars, recurring stars, and guest stars earned 157 acting nominations (often competing in ...

on the TV show ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

''. Purdum and Myers have two children, Kate and Stephen.

References

External links

Column archive
at '' Vanity Fair''
Column archive
at ''

'' (1984–2008) * * *
Todd S. Purdum Papers at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Purdum, Todd 1959 births Living people American male journalists The New York Times writers Princeton University alumni People from Macomb, Illinois Place of birth missing (living people) American Episcopalians St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni Journalists from Illinois