BETWEEN YOU AND ME
Bob Woodward says a Trump official privately told him that his book is '1,000 percent' true — then said publicly that it's false
Bob Woodward is no shrinking violet.
The veteran reporter, whose book Fear about the Trump administration includes startling revelations about a White House in apparent disarray, spoke on The New York Times' podcast The Daily on Tuesday about the hubbub the book has caused over anonymous sourcing. Woodward said that last week, after excerpts from his book began to emerge online, a "key person who's in office" called him and said that his book is "1,000 percent correct" and that everyone who works for Trump knows it. But then, Woodward said, the same person turned around and said publicly that the book is not true at all.
Woodward went on to say that while this person's about-face angered him, he takes solace in the fact that eventually, "the truth in all of this is going to emerge." Woodward didn't name the person who called him last week, although he previously said on Today that Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis are not being honest when they deny the quotes attributed to them in the book. "These are political statements to protect their jobs," he said.
Fear is written in a way so that the reader never knows who gave Woodward the specific information being presented. Immediately after excerpts from it came out last week, President Trump reportedly began a desperate search to figure out who might have leaked information, while his administration claimed the book is full of stories made up by disgruntled employees.