Politics

Bob Woodward stands by ‘regret’ claim, says he never felt ‘threatened’ [VIDEO]

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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On Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” on Thursday, embattled Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward reiterated his case that Obama economic adviser Gene Sperling had used rhetoric unbecoming of a high-ranking White House official in their conversations about the sequester, but denied media reports that he had felt “threatened” by the exchanges.

“I mean, it was the half hour in which he was shouting at me,” Woodward said. “Now, what we’re talking about here is not a fact. He’s not arguing with a fact, because beforehand he said we’re just not going to see eye to eye on this. It’s an interpretation. Obviously, he didn’t like being challenged on this at all. But you know, people have said, ‘Well, this was a threat,’ or I was saying it was a threat. I haven’t used that language.”

“But it’s not the way to operate in a White House,” he continued. “As you know, when somebody says you’re going to regret something — particularly somebody in a position of power like Gene Sperling — he’s not just a guy in the White House. He is the economic czar for the president.””

Woodward expressed concern that similar aggressive tactics might be more effective against less seasoned reporters. (RELATED BLOG: How Woodward played conservatives for fools)

“I’m almost 70 years old, I hate to acknowledge,” Woodward said. “I’ve done this for four decades. I will keep doing it in some form. … The problem is, there are all kinds of reporters who are much less experienced, who are younger. …”

Woodward also took a final dig at both Fox News and MSNBC. (RELATED VIDEO: Appearing later on “Hannity,” Ann Coulter calls Woodward a “hothouse flower”)

“We live in a hyper-partisan era,” Woodward said. “And you know, let’s face it, Fox News is a cornerstone of part of that partisanship. There are a group of people, MSNBC, a lot of people [who] support Obama who just believe he can do no wrong. We’ve got this division…. So, we have got to — in my view; I suspect it’s not yours or Roger Ailes’ — we’ve got to bring this back to the center, so we have a reasoned discussion as much as possible.”

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