White House hits back at bombshell Bob Woodward book, claims the book is full of stories from 'former disgruntled employees'
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders responded to explosive new claims in veteran journalist Bob Woodward's new book, "Fear: Trump in the White House."
The books describes a chaotic White House, with fights between Trump and aides as well as arguments among White House staffers.
Sanders said Woodward's book is "nothing more than fabricated stories" with stories from "former disgruntled employees."
White House chief of staff John Kelly also responded to Woodward's report that he called Trump an "idiot."
"The idea I ever called the President an idiot is not true," Kelly said.
The White House on Tuesday hit back at veteran journalist Bob Woodward's new book on President Donald Trump's administration.
"This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
Portions of Woodward's book that detail a wild, chaotic White House with an often-belligerent Trump at its center were released by The Washington Post on Tuesday. Woodward is an editor at the Post.
Many of the stories detailed vocal disagreement between members of the president's team or direct confrontations between Trump and his aides.
"While it is not always pretty, and rare that the press actually covers it, President Trump has broken through the bureaucratic process to deliver unprecedented successes for the American people," Sanders said. "Sometimes it is unconventional, but he always gets results."
Additionally, the White House issued a rebuttal from White House chief of staff John Kelly. In the book, entitled "Fear: Trump in the White House," Kelly is quoted calling Trump "unhinged," and an "idiot."
"The idea I ever called the President an idiot is not true," Kelly said in the statement. "As I stated back in May and still firmly stand behind: 'I spend more time with the President than anyone else, and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship. He always knows where I stand, and he and I both know this story is total BS'."
Here's the full response from Sanders:
"This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad. While it is not always pretty, and rare that the press actually covers it, President Trump has broken through the bureaucratic process to deliver unprecedented successes for the American people. Sometimes it is unconventional, but he always gets results. Democrats and their allies in the media understand the President’s policies are working and with success like this, no one can beat him in 2020 – not even close."
And Kelly:
"The idea I ever called the President an idiot is not true. As I stated back in May and still firmly stand behind: 'I spend more time with the President than anyone else, and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship. He always knows where I stand, and he and I both know this story is total BS. I'm committed to the President, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration’s many successes'."
And the response from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis:
"The contemptuous words about the President attributed to me in Woodward's book were never uttered by me or in my presence. While I generally enjoy reading fiction, this is a uniquely Washington brand of literature, and his anonymous sources do not lend credibility.
"While responsible policy making in the real world is inherently messy, it is also essential that we challenge every assumption to find the best option. I embrace such debate and the open competition of ideas. In just over a year, these robust discussions and deliberations have yielded significant results, including the near annihilation of the ISIS caliphate, unprecedented burden sharing by our NATO allies, the repatriation of US service member remains from North Korea, and the improved readiness of our armed forces. Our defense policies have also enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress.
"In serving in this administration, the idea that I would show contempt for the elected Commander-in-Chief president Trump, or tolerate disrespect to the office of the President from within [our] Department of Defense, is a product of someone's rich imagination."
Check out some of the details from Woodward's book:
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