David Granger on Clinton Remarks: It Wasn't Me

During Bill Clinton's spectacular meltdown yesterday--calling Vanity Fair's Todd Purdum a scumbag, sleazy and slimy--he also decided to drag just about everyone into the melee. He said:

"The editor of Esquire-- he sent us an email yesterday and said it was the single sleaziest piece of journalism he'd seen in decades. He said it made him want to go take a shower and he was embarrassed to be a journalist when he read it."

When reached by phone this morning, Esquire editor David Granger explained that Clinton wasn't referring to him, but one of his deputies.

"I didn't say anything to him," said Granger. "One of my editors sent a personal email to Doug Band [a longtime Clinton staffer who is described in Purdum's story]. It was an editor who has a personal relationship with Doug. Doug emailed my editor who then forwarded it to me and he said he was sorry that his comments were taken in another direction."

Mr. Granger said after he received word of the comments yesterday evening--a little after the Huffington Post's Mayhill Flower printed them online--he called up Graydon Carter's office to explain that it wasn't him. Granger said that he hasn't spoken to Carter yet, but explained to one of his assistants what he wanted to speak about.

When asked how frustrated he was, Granger said "mildly."

"I'm disappointed it was interpreted as being all of Esquire," he said.