(Cullen Mccue) A New York Times reporter dismissed criticism of Barrack Obama’s lavish 60th birthday party that took place over the weekend. “This is really being overblown,” said Annie Karni, who currently works as the outlet’s White House correspondent. “They’re following all the safety precautions, people have gone to sporting events bigger than this. This is going to be safe, this is a sophisticated, vaccinated crowd and this is just about optics, it’s not about safety,” Karni told CNN’s Jim Acosta.