With the new book "Fear" by prominent US journalist Bob Woodward focusing on "a scathing depiction" of the Trump administration, the book should be perceived in light of Woodward's accuracy record, which has been marred by accusations that he distorts the truth, reporter Peter Hasson said in a piece published by The Daily Caller news website.
"Woodward has a muddy history with a trail of allegations that he embellished the truth or otherwise mislead his readers," Hasson pointed out, referring, as an example, to the coverage by Woodward of the Watergate scandal in 1973 and his thoughts about former Supreme Court Justice William Brennan in 1979.
READ MORE: Trump Slams Woodward's Book, Promises to Write 'the Real Book' in Deleted Tweet
In this vein, Hasson cited former New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis as saying that Woodward's treatment of the case "leaves doubts" about the author's understanding of it as well as his scrupulousness.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, for her part, described Woodward's news book as "nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the president look bad."
She was echoed by President Donald Trump who tweeted that "the Woodward book has already been refuted and discredited by General (Secretary of Defense) James Mattis and General (Chief of Staff) John Kelly."
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Earlier, Trump referred to Woodward in private as someone who had "always been fair," publicly citing the reporter in his own defense.
Seventy-five-year-old Woodward, who has worked with The Washington Post since 1971, shared two Pulitzer Prizes for covering the Watergate scandal and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The views and opinions expressed by Peter Hasson are those of the reporter and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.