She has a long history of hit pieces. Wasn’t she the author of the article which reported the (illegally leaked) information that Linda Tripp had been arrested for theft? This was right in the height of public attention over the Monica Lewinsky scandal. When she was 17 some “friend” as a prank had planted a stolen object in her purse and gotten her arrested—the judge threw out the case and said she did not have to report it, but some Clintonista leaked it as part of the campaign to discredit her.
A Jane Mayer story takes quite a while to write, so you have to look at what was going on a few weeks ago to figure out WHY she wrote the story.
It was probably a fairly rushed job, in response to the January goings-on with Steele, Grassley & Lindsey Graham.
Mayer doesn't get assigned stories like other journalists.
She's one of the prides of the Democrat Media battle fleet, similar to the Bismarck or the USS Missouri.
She only sorties for "special assignments" for the DNC.
Also, her writing is very "layered". There are usually 3, 4 or more things going on under the surface of her article.
Half of these layers are information that is being withheld or glossed over.
If you revisit the Tripp article and compare it with what was known at the time, and what Mayer most certainly knew that was secret, and then what was found out later, you can get a sense of how she writes her stories, with omissions and half-truths.
An example: I'd have to check, but I'm almost certain that Mayer didn't mention a whisper of Norma Asnes, Felonia's "swell pal" and someone who suspiciously buddied up to Tripp in a quest for Lewinsky info.
Mayer almost certainly knew about Asnes.