Two former Trump administration officials Rob Porter and Gary Cohn are pushing back against Bob Woodward’s book “Fear: Trump in the White House” as it officially hits the stands on Tuesday.
In two separate statements to Axios, both Mr. Porter, the former staff secretary, and Mr. Cohn, the former White House economic counsel say Mr. Woodward’s book is not accurate.
Mr. Cohn didn’t elaborate on any particular issue in Mr. Woodward’s book, but stood by his time with President Trump.
“This book does not accurately portray my experience at the White House,” Mr. Cohn said, “I am proud of my service in the Trump Administration, and I continue to support the president and his economic agenda.”
However, Mr. Porter took aim at allegations that some staffers and officials worked to undermine some of the president’s policies. He described Mr. Woodward’s account as “selective and often misleading.”
“As Staff Secretary, I was responsible for managing the flow of documents to and from the Oval Office and ensuring that anything the President was asked to sign had been properly vetted,” Mr. Porter said.
“The suggestion that materials were “stolen” from the President’s desk to prevent his signature misunderstands how the White House document review process works — and has worked for at least the last eight administrations.”
Mr. Cohn left the White House in March amongst growing rumors of infighting within the White House. Mr. Porter left a month earlier in a cloud of scandal after two ex-wives accused him of abuse.
Mr. Cohn and Mr. Porter are adding their voices to the other top Trump administration officials rejecting how they were portrayed in the book. Defense Secretary James Mattis, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and former Trump lawyer John Dowd have pushed back against Mr. Woodward’s “Fear.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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