He didn’t “confirm.” He sent a tweet. Confirmation requires evidence. And calling the guy a “writer” is intended imply that he was a reporter. But he wrote opinion pieces on topics such as government waste.
You are so right. We are in a new generation of of “Zombie Journalism” wherein whoever publishes the most outlandish unsubstantiated rumors gets the most readers, and therefore “wins.”
At the article he provides a photocopy of proof of recent payment by the WT.