TMZ’s New Target Is Washington. Here’s Why Many Observers Say It’s Exactly What Politicians Deserve.

Hollywood’s most audacious tabloid is taking on Washington, D.C. — and people think it’s just the shakeup the political world deserves.

TMZ, an outlet known for its aggressive celebrity reporting and ability to break news at lightning speed, announced it had deployed three producers to Capitol Hill on Monday, right as Congress is set to go back into session after a weekslong recess.

During their first days on the ground in the nation’s capital, producers tracked down Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to grill him about his visit to Disney World during Congress’ mid-shutdown recess.

When asked about photos of him wielding a bubble wand while at the Magic Kingdom, Graham threw his hands up and rushed away as fast as possible.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) got a similar treatment as TMZ producers cornered him and asked if he was on Pope Leo’s or President Donald Trump’s side amid the chief executive’s current row with the pontiff over the war in Iran.

Online, critics and fans of the site from both sides of the political spectrum commended TMZ’s dogged approach.

“This is great. No one deserves the TMZ treatment more than politicians,” one X user wrote in a repost of the Graham video.

Meghan McCain, the conservative media persona and daughter of late Sen. John McCain, offered a ringing endorsement as she posted to X, saying, “Give @TMZ a White House press badge for the briefing room. I am not joking.”

Another poster applauded TMZ for treating lawmakers the same way it would any other publicity-hungry figures, suggesting that legacy media follow their lead.

“American journalism should indeed obliterate the critical distance from political spectacle and treat its politicians as the same elevated and degenerate category of trash TV characters, to be subjected to TMZ-style pester, harassment, and humiliation rituals,” they wrote. “It is more honest.”

Others did worry about what kind of discord TMZ’s bullish style might incite, with one Trump supporter predicting things could get messy.

“I can’t stand TMZ … but them setting up shop in Washington, DC to follow politicians might be the most glorious thing I’ve ever seen,” they wrote. “Just wait — staffers and interns are about to start cashing in left and right, dropping receipts for a quick payday. This could get ugly fast. Oof.”

TMZ’s skill for getting scoops has a lot to do with its willingness to play fast and loose when it comes to standard journalistic ethics, like its habit of paying sources and pushing the limits when it comes to respecting subjects’ privacy.

TMZ told HuffPost it decided to amp up its presence in D.C. after founder Harvey Levin and executive producer Charles Latibeaudiere interviewed a TSA employee struggling to make ends meet as a partial government shutdown left them without pay for weeks.

“We want to show what they are doing at your expense,” Levin told viewers of “TMZ Live” at the time.