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Trump on Woodward's Book: 'Shame' Someone Can Write a Book and 'Totally Make up Stories'

'Don’t know why Washington politicians don’t change libel laws?'

Getty Images
September 5, 2018

President Donald Trump, in the wake of excerpts being released from Bob Woodward’s upcoming book Fear: Trump in the White House, wrote in a tweet Wednesday morning that it's a shame someone can write a book and totally make up stories.

"Isn’t it a shame that someone can write an article or book, totally make up stories and form a picture of a person that is literally the exact opposite of the fact, and get away with it without retribution or cost," Trump tweeted.

He added, "Don’t know why Washington politicians don’t change libel laws?"

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1037302649199177728

Excerpts from Woodward's book, scheduled for release Sept. 11, have been reported that paint a White House in disarray. The excerpts describe a White House where aides call President Donald Trump an "idiot" and withhold information from the president in order to "protect the country." In one instance, Woodward’s book claims Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Trump’s understanding of North Korea was that of a "fifth or sixth grader." Mattis called the story "fiction."

On Tuesday night, Trump called Woodward's book a fraud and questioned if the Washington Post associate editor is a Democratic Party operative.

"The Woodward book has already been refuted and discredited by General (Secretary of Defense) James Mattis and General (Chief of Staff) John Kelly," Trump tweeted. "Their quotes were made up frauds, a con on the public. Likewise other stories and quotes. Woodward is a Dem operative? Notice timing?"

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1037117638101688320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1037117638101688320&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2018%2F09%2F04%2Fpolitics%2Fwhite-house-response-bob-woodward%2Findex.html

The president also denied that he ever called Attorney General Jeff Sessions "mentally retarded" and "a dumb southerner," as the book claims.

"The already discredited Woodward book, so many lies and phony sources, has me calling Jeff Sessions 'mentally retarded' and 'a dumb southerner.' I said NEITHER, never used those terms on anyone, including Jeff, and being a southerner is a GREAT thing. He made this up to divide!" Trump tweeted.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1037173907625832448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1037173907625832448&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2018%2F09%2F04%2Fpolitics%2Fwhite-house-response-bob-woodward%2Findex.html

Earlier this year, the Trump administration faced a similar controversy when Michael Wolff published his book Fire and Fury: Inside Trump's White House. That book also included stories that painted the Trump White House as dysfunctional and chaotic. However, it has been hit for numerous inaccuracies.