Leading up to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend, POLITICO met the busiest new celebrities in town: the TMZ folks.
Since arriving in Washington last week, TMZ DC Bureau’s Jacob Wasserman, Charlie Cotton and Jackson Buhaj have been shaking up the DC media bubble, asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth what the hell he’s doing? feels in his mind and body Whether the law makers know at the time of dropping the bomb or not what grindr Is.
In an interview in front of the Capitol building Friday afternoon, the trio discussed their mission, strategy and whether they’re really trying to troll us all.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Where are you guys from and how did you get into this job?
Cotton: I am from Canberra, the capital of Australia. I came to America and suddenly got a job at TMZ as a tour guide on our celebrity tours around Hollywood. And then I’ve been there for 13 years, doing camera work, reporter work.
Buhaj: I was going to school, and then TMZ hired me as a (production assistant) at an ice cream shop. I did some things for them, and Harvey (Levin) decided he wanted to have me at TMZ full-time. And so he said, “Don’t go to school, come here.” And I found myself on Capitol Hill with these people. So it’s been quite an adventure.
Wasserman: I went to Tulane, and TMZ was my first job out of college and then slowly progressed. I have been there for six and a half years. Before that I actually covered a lot of political stuff, a lot of campaign cycles, for TMZ. I also covered high-profile court cases like the Sean Combs criminal trial.
call your mother","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://x.com/jacob_wass/status/2045584737553568033","_Identification": :"0000019d-c4ff-dcf3-a1df-efff5f2f0004","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-c4ff-dcf3-a1df-efff5f2f0005","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>call your mother And tate tweets","_Identification": :"0000019d-c1f7-dfb1-a79f-e5f78e100000","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>Tatay tweets -Are you trolling us?
Wasserman: Yes. That was a complete joke. I have to say, I didn’t really tweet before I came here a few days ago and I was trying to be a little cheeky.
I’m learning that it doesn’t always have to be on Twitter. I never went to Call Your Mom, but looking at the line there, I thought, Oh, of course, it’s a really popular place. And since everyone was losing it, I explained it to Tata. that was it.
Cotton: We are exploring DC…we are very surprised to be here. Everything seems new and exciting, and look where we are. We’re talking to you right now outside the capital, like it’s crazy. I think that kind of excited energy around politics and politicians is something that hasn’t been in this place for a long time, perhaps, if ever.
We want to talk to people that maybe a person in middle America doesn’t know who it is, but because they’ve seen some of our conversations, they know it’s going to be interesting.
And if we want informed voters, if we want people to know more, we want more transparency, I think it’s great that we’re here and we’re just excited about where this very new thing is going.
Talk to me about your mission and what you would envision as a dream TMZ DC story.
Buhaj: A bigger story could be the bill that is being passed. A bigger story could be what an intern is saying about their fellow interns. A bigger story could be who clogged the toilet in the House office building. It could mean anything to us. So I would say, dream story? I don’t think we have anything special in mind. I think we are just providing factual news to the people here. This is at the forefront of our minds right now.
Wasserman: I think TMZ plays on emotions. I mean, that can be found in the soundbites. It can be found in court documents. This can be found in the 911 audio clip.
So you guys are not officially certified (through the press galleries of Congress). Are you looking for a certificate? What is happening there?
Wasserman: We have applied. So we’re just waiting.
Plus, there is plenty of opportunity to meet a lot of people even when you don’t have enough qualifications. We’ll talk to people as they walk from the House to the Capitol building and the tunnels. The most amazing thing is how inviting people are and how willing they are to talk.
No one is being followed. Whatever happens, people are coming to us and they recognize us now. They say, “Hey, I want to talk about X, Y, and Z,” and what a great opportunity for that.
Are you getting a lot of support from Hill employees who want their bosses to talk to you guys?
Cotton: Yes. This is amazing.
It’s amazing because we watch them all, and we didn’t expect everyone to be so disappointed. There are some people, including Lindsey Graham, who don’t want to talk to us even though we’ve given them the chance. And if they don’t want to talk to us, I don’t have the slightest objection to that. I understood. This is new and scary.
We want to stay here. We want to ask interesting questions. If there is a direct question that needs to be asked, it simply needs to be asked. But we don’t want to be rude. We don’t want to “trap” anyone. We just want to have conversations like this and have some laughs and some serious stuff. … We’re just here to learn about DC and the people in it.
There is some discussion about TMZ paying for stories or tips. is that true? Would you guys be doing something like this here?
Wasserman: Absolutely not. This is completely wrong information. I think people sometimes like to use it to defame us.
We really work very hard at the way TMZ works. And even though there’s just the three of us, our engine is in Los Angeles and we have an incredible team of producers who work incredibly hard. Harvey Levin, Charles (Latibaudière), these are people who have been working in journalism for decades. And we conduct ourselves the same way as journalists reporting on stories, whether it’s obtaining police reports, FOIA requests, searching court documents. We take this really seriously.
How does covering politicians compare to covering celebrities?
Cotton: It’s just like that. We’re just doing the same thing.
Everything We Know About “The Real Housewives.” Yet we know nothing about the members of Congress who control our lives. You know what I mean? And we pay them salaries. They are our public servants. So why is a private citizen more scrutinized rather than our public servants? And we just wanted to come here, turn it upside down and do the exact same thing we’re doing in L.A., which is to cover the news objectively, truthfully, factually.
And we want people to trust us. We want people to trust that we won’t be awkward at all when they talk to us on camera. We want people who consume our media to know it is accurate.
Charlie, you talked about fairness. I saw some of your posts on social media years ago. One lindsey grahamis called","_Identification": :"0000019d-c1d3-d8db-abff-efdbcf690000","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>lindsey graham is called A “bozo.” One Chuck Schumer praised.","_Identification": :"0000019d-c1d4-d856-ab9f-e7f579290000","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>Chuck Schumer praised. Talk to me a little about that. Can you cover these guys fairly?
Cotton: Absolutely. I mean, I use that expression very liberally. If you know me, I’m Australian. You know what I mean? So, yes, of course I can, and I’m not afraid to express my opinion.
I’m here and I’m going to cover the news the way I want to. I’m going to ask the questions I want to ask. That is all.
The ultimate merger of celebrity and politics is happening this weekend, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. How are you guys dealing with this? Where can people see you guys?
Wasserman: We’re going to a Grindr party tonight. We’re going to the Substack party tomorrow.
We are very tired. We are working very hard. And even this morning, we were at the Pentagon. It was a morning time. So we’ll definitely come out and show our faces but I don’t think it’ll be too crazy. TBD.
Most extraordinary conversation ever?
Cotton: AOC was hanging out next to a car, saying, “Hey TMZ DC, hi, how are you guys?”
And we’re like, “What? Like she knows us?”
People here know us and respect us and appreciate that we’re here. And sometimes in LA I didn’t feel that way, but here I felt it so much. And it’s a breath of fresh air. And I really hope that we can live up to people’s trust.
Buhaj: I can’t talk about it yet as it’s not released yet, but you’ll have to stay tuned. …But just to give you a hint, there are Congressmen who are very hospitable.
Wasserman: I had a very nice conversation with Jonathan Jackson the other day. I ran into him again at the airport, and he came up to me and he was like, “Hey, how’s it going?” We were just kind of joking. So that was great. And I’m glad he feels like he can do that with me. And this would not be strange.
Which members have surprised you?
Buhaj: Tim Burchett.
The stuff we talked about in an interview was crazy. It’s just that you’re sitting in that office and you say, “I can’t believe these words are coming out of the Congressman’s mouth.”
Nothing bad, but he’s been so open, “There’s tremendous corruption here on Capitol Hill.” This is something he wants to end. It was so refreshing to have an interview with a public representative who was so open about everything.
Cotton: Two words: Shomari figures.
Actually, I interviewed him for the first time yesterday, but we’re trying to meet everyone. And that’s great. That clearly looks like a dreamboat. He told me yesterday that he is the best athlete in Congress and I believe it.
I didn’t know Shomari Figures existed until a few days ago. And now I do. And now I’m punishing myself because I should have known because here’s this amazing person doing amazing things.
What’s the best food you’ve ever had in Washington?
Cotton: There’s this coffee place called Cameo. it’s really good. …Coffee is a hit in DC.
Buhaj: I am fond of drinking coffee. I can name 50 coffee spots in LA. I can probably name five or 10 in the entire city that I’ve already passed by. Right off the bat, I’m not saying you guys don’t do it right, but LA does it better.
Wasserman: Peruvian Chicken in Longworth.
Cotton: I wish that one day they would serve Peruvian chicken to welcome me.
Buhaj: Honorable mention goes to Barcelona Wine Bar. There is some really good food there. I was quite impressed.
