Woodward defends keeping revelations about Trump and coronavirus quiet until book release

[Mike 03]

USA TODAY
William Cummings
USA TODAY

"He tells me this, and I’m thinking, 'Wow, that’s interesting, but is it true?' Trump says things that don’t check out, right?" Woodward told AP, referring to Trump's habit of stretching or misrepresenting the truth. And he said he had to determine, "What did he know and when did he know it?" borrowing a phrase from his reporting for the Post on the Watergate break-in.

"The biggest problem I had, which is always a problem with Trump, is I didn’t know if it was true," Woodward told the Post.

Trump called "out of the blue" in early February to "unburden himself" about the potential severity of the coronavirus, Woodward told AP. And Trump's concerns seemed exaggerated at a time when public health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci were telling Americans the risk of the virus reaching the U.S. was low.

Woodward said it was not until May that he confirmed Trump's statements were based on reliable information, and that at that point the virus was already widespread.

"If I had done the story at that time about what he knew in February, that’s not telling us anything we didn’t know," he told AP.

Read full story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/09/10/bob-woodward-defends-staying-quiet-trumps-coronavirus-concerns/5767482002/

[uponit7771]

1. OMFG !! "... Dr. Anthony Fauci were telling Americans the risk of the virus reaching US was low" 😮

So Woodward is using same excuse as Trump !?!!

WTF ?!

... and bullshit Woodward, Trump said he got the information on the lethality from Xi in Jan !!

Damn, it would've been good if the rest of us knew it was airborn in Jan !!

[Squinch]

2. Weasel words.

[underpants]

3. The ads had better be relentless. Trump defusing distracting dismissing

will drown out the “but but Woodward” voices...except on Facebook- they’ll go on there forever

[uponit7771]

4. RIGHT !! Woodward was wrong too should be the message otherwise they'll deflect Trump did ...

... the right thing

[underpants]

7. No. No. Woodward wasn't wrong. That's bullshit.

Trump owns this. He knew. He’s POTUS. HE KNEW.

[uponit7771]

10. So did Woodward !! That's a fact without dispute now. Trump is USING the fact that Woodward KNEW

... as an excuse not to tell everyone RIGHT NOW.

I'm not getting letting Woodward off the hook for not letting people know in Jan/Feb about the lethality of the bug.

YES ... people wouldve done different if we knew it was airborne!!

[underpants]

11. Trump said it. He said all of it. He knew.

He was in power and could have done something anything instead he dismissed it and turned it into a political and social tool.

No. It’s not Woodards job to do that. In Marchnif Woodward would have come out screaming this to the heavens how much coverage would it have gotten? Ooh WOODWARD! Like most people under 40 know who he is. Please.

[uponit7771]

14. We agree on the onus of the deaths, we also agree Woodward could've leaked info about the lethality

... of the bug in the smartest way possible without having to scream the sky is on fire too.

THAT little bit of information in Jan/Feb to the general public would've made that much of a difference.


Would you stay quiet knowing Trump was lying about the bug being airborne in Jan / Feb ?!

I'm perplexed here .. I would not have and would have leaked the info in the smartest way possible knowing it could save 1 or 2 lives.

[underpants]

16. Chicken Little

The press doesn’t stop because Woodward says something. They sure as hell weren’t going to stop with the horse race coming up.

[samsingh]

18. trump unfortunately is the president and he is responsible

woodward has been a self serving weasel since the bush regime days of that stolen election.

[uponit7771]

19. +1, I think I'll leave it at this statement. I would've SMARTLY spoken up the second I knew Trump...

... was lying about the extent of the airborne lethality of CV19.

I'll listen for more info but there's no good reason for any of them to stay quiet after Trump started lying about the bug

[Thekaspervote]

12. Exactly! Stop shooting the messenger. If the book had come out sooner it would have been

Trashed as fake. No one was listening to the experts, how would one tell all book had made any difference??!!

[underpants]

13. He'd have been Chicken Little.

The boy who cried wolf.

Imagine accusing a President, anyone really, of this. He’d have been discussed by the DC insider shows and written off or ignored by a media gearing up for the coming horse race in November.

The world doesn’t stop when Bob Woodward speaks.

[uponit7771]

20. So what? The other option is what? saying nothing? Not trying to be an a hole would like to know ...

... what you would've done if you knew Trump was lying about the extent of the airborne lethality of CV19

Thx in advance for your input

[pwb]

5. How many in the Administration knew it and for how long?

I am with Woodward on this. Others knew and were silent.

[dem4decades]

6. Has Fauci come out and explained his actions and defense of Trump?

[underpants]

9. Doesn't need to

Anyone who was paying attention or is aware how the world works knows what Fauci was doing. He was getting the facts (obvious facts) out but he couldn’t upset the child or he, Fauci, could lose his influence. He’s been around long enough to know how the game is played and how to stay in the game.

[dem4decades]

15. At some point he should leave the game if it's fixed. He's muted, he'd be more effective not being

silent.

[underpants]

17. That does him nor anyone else any good. Nt.

[Rice4VP]

8. Makes sense but...

He should’ve exposed him with the tape to back it up and force him to admit or deny it.