Defending the indefensible ...

... is never a good look. The NYT likely vets their "anonymous sources" with similar rigor (sarcasm intended), as long as those sources are peddling information that portrays Republicans in general and Trump in particular in an unfavorable light. See the Alfa Bank "secret server" hoax and the NYT's dodgy reporting on it. The NYT is a leftist propaganda rag unfit to line a bird cage.