It could also be that the Dems have gotten away with so much already via Moore etc that hey have come to the place where they do not know the difference between truth and fiction.

The secretary who said the memos were fake but the sentiment is accurate is a perfect example of this.

I suggest a new headline:

Old partisan Democrat forced to admit memos are fake but tries to get a dig in and bad mouth a man everybody who knows knows she despises.

Kinda long but far closer to the truth than most of what we see in the NYT.