Michael Wolff Reveals to NY Times He Didn’t Request Comment From Key Subjects in Trump Book
Michael Wolff, who has now written two gossipy books about President Donald Trump, confessed he didn’t undertake basic journalism practice by asking for comment from many of the key subjects in his book.
Speaking with The New York Times’ Michael Grynbaum ahead of the release of his book Siege: Trump Under Fire, Wolff admitted he didn’t bother to reach out for comment from Trump, despite much of his book relating quotes and stories painting the president in a poor light.
When asked if he sought comment from Trump, Wolff responded “no. … He tried to stop the publication last time. I think that would be a fool’s errand, to invite the president of the United States to come down on you.”
“It’s a difference between an institutional reporter and a non-institutional reporter. I don’t have to ask the silly questions,” Wolff said when he was asked if he reached out to Fox News about a claim in his book that they provided questions to Brett Kavanaugh in advance of an interview (he did not).
For its part, a Fox spokesman called Wolff’s claim “pure fiction.”
Vanity Fair also reports a spokesman for Jared Kushner said “Michael Wolff never reached out for comment and the statements in the book attributed to Jared we have seen in the media are completely false,” in response to a report that Kushner insulted murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in an off-the-record conversation.
One more update, via Kushner’s spox: “Michael Wolff never reached out for comment and the statements in the book attributed to Jared we have seen in the media are completely false.” https://t.co/Wb4cCkPAoG
— Joe Pompeo (@joepompeo) May 30, 2019
Although Fire and Fury carved out a place as a best seller for 2018, it has come under scrutiny for multiple errors and apparent gossip items reported as fact.
When asked if he considers Siege a work of journalism, Wolff responded: “of course.”
[Image via screengrab]
