Trump calls Fire and Fury a 'work of fiction,' denies author ever interviewed him
During a news conference from Camp David Saturday, President Trump once again railed against Michael Wolff, author of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, calling the book a "work of fiction" and denying ever granting Wolff an interview or allowing him in the Oval Office. "Libel laws are very weak in this country," Trump said. "If they were stronger, hopefully, you would not have something like that happen where you can say whatever comes to your head."
During the conference, Trump was flanked by Republican leaders, with whom he has been meeting this weekend to lay plans for the 2018 agenda. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) touted the successes of 2017, namely the GOP tax reform bill, and called for bipartisan cooperation going into the New Year on issues like infrastructure, military, and immigration. "We have a bold agenda for 2018," he said.
It was only when the floor was opened for questions that the conversation turned from the 2018 agenda to Wolff's book, the Russia investigation, and the New York Times report that Trump tried to persuade Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from that investigation. Trump called that report inaccurate. "Everything that I've done is 100 percent proper," he said. When asked how, specifically, the Times report was wrong, Trump said, "You'll find out."
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Read the full transcript of the conference here.
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Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.
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