Media: NYT Says Ali Watkins had ‘multiple’ relationships with sources she covered

Well this story certainly seems to be spinning out of control.
From the New York Times:

...By August, Ms. Watkins told friends that she and Mr. Wolfe had broken up. He had been spooked by her meeting with Mr. Rambo, and was refusing to disclose their relationship to his own employers in the Senate

In the fall, Ms. Watkins started dating a different staff member from the committee. She told others that she had informed a Politico editor who did not object. But Mr. Dayspring, the Politico spokesman, said: “Politico editors were not made aware of this relationship.”...

After the initial report that she was hangin' and bangin' the (now former) security director for the Senate Intelligence Committee it seemed everybody knew the A.M. Rosenthal (exec. editor, NYT) quote:

"I don't care if you fuck an elephant, just so long as you don't cover the circus."

I had never heard it and had to look it up. Here's Romennesko back in 2012:
Sleeping with elephants

I'm not sure what the circus metaphor should be after the latest Times revelation but a clown car comes to mind.

What...the...hell?

Lois Lane weeps.