Kaplan To CBS: “Couric Has A Long History Of Dispatching EP’s While Trying To Pretend It Wasn’t Her Doing”

As the headline asked earlier today: “Does Anyone Really Believe That Couric Wasn’t Consulted?” Two knowledgeable e-mailers say no.

“In the long tradition of covering for Katie, Sean McManus insists it was his decision and Katie didn’t know until after the hire had been made,” one of the insiders writes. “This may be technically true — Katie didn’t ‘know’ that the deal had been made — but of course she knew that Rome Hartman was going to be fired and replaced by Rick.”

So why the emphasis on McManus? “Katie just doesn’t need the negative press that she’s either panicked or that she’s dispatching another executive producer, especially one as talented and well liked as Rome Hartman,” the insider continues. “”Don’t forget, Couric has a long history of dispatching executive producers while trying to pretend it wasn’t her doing. See Jonathan Wald and Tom Touchet at Today, for starters.”

> Also: Another tipster says Kaplan “has been lunching with Katie on and off since last June when he lost his last job, and he’s made no secret to anyone that he wanted the position.” Update: CBS says Couric didn’t have lunch with Kaplan before he joined the network…