Defense Secretary James Mattis fired back on Tuesday, shooting down the alleged statements attributed to him in Bob Woodward’s new book about the Trump White House.
“We’re doing this in order to prevent World War III,” an “exasperated” Mattis supposedly told the president when asked why the United States was spending money to keep a presence in South Korea, according to an excerpt from “Fear,” published Tuesday by The Washington Post.
Statement from Secretary of Defense, James Mattis: pic.twitter.com/OneaxKCneV
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2018
“The contemptuous words about the President attributed to me in Woodward’s book were never uttered by me or in my presence,” Mattis said in a statement. “While I generally enjoy reading fiction, this is a uniquely Washington brand of literature, and his anonymous sources do not lend credibility.” – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]President Trump accused veteran journalist Bob Woodward of being a Democratic “operative” after excerpts from the reporter’s new book were released.
In a tweet Tuesday night, Trump cited his aides refuting the reporting in “Fear: Trump in the White House” as evidence that the book is inaccurate.
“The Woodward book has already been refuted and discredited by General (Secretary of Defense) James Mattis and General (Chief of Staff) John Kelly,” he wrote. “Their quotes were made up frauds, a con on the public. Likewise other stories and quotes. Woodward is a Dem operative? Notice timing?”
Woodward said that he tried to contact Trump for an interview for the book, but that he never heard back from the several people he contacted. READ MORE: