White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Admits: Woodward’s Access ‘Is Probably Something That I Would Not Have Recommended’

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows defended President Donald Trump’s comments to Bob Woodward admitting to downplaying the coronavirus, while offering a rather candid admission about the level of access Woodward got in the White House for a book.

Meadows spoke with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum Wednesday and said “any great leader” would vet the information they get with advisers and doctors to “make prudent decisions” and avoid panicking people.

He insisted “it was all hands on deck” in the White House early on when he came aboard, while adding that there’s a lot we know now about the virus that we didn’t know then.

Meadows joined the administration in late March, after Woodward was already granted access to the president and the White House to work on his book. Trump himself sat down for 18 interviews with Woodward, who has hours and hours of audio from their conversations.

MacCallum asked Meadows, “What was your understanding of how much access Bob Woodward had to the president? You’re the chief of staff. Were you surprised to learn he was on the phone with him for 18 hours often late at night making these recordings?”

Meadows responded:

“I’m not surprised that the president was on the phone with Bob Woodward. Honestly, his access to the White House is probably something that I would not have recommended had I been in the Chief of Staff role very early on, but it’s the typical thing the president does. He believes he has nothing to hide, and that’s the great thing about him, is that he’s willing to talk to anybody about any subject no matter how difficult. He’s probably given more interviews than any president in modern history and it’s all about making sure the American people stay informed. And whether you like it or not, he’s willing to answer the difficult questions.”

You can watch above, via Fox News.