Bob Woodward criticized CNN’s response to the White House’s decision to pull Jim Acosta’s press credentials on Tuesday, saying that the remedy is “more serious reporting,” not a lawsuit.
“In the news media there has been an emotional reaction to Trump,” Woodward said at a Global Financial Leadership Conference in Naples, Florida. “Too many people for Trump or against Trump have become emotionally unhinged about this.”
“The remedy [isn’t a lawsuit],” he continued. “It’s more serious reporting about what he’s doing.”
NBC News’s Dylan Byers first reported Woodward’s remarks.
BOB WOODWARD at Global Financial Leadership Conference in Naples, Fla., shortly after CNN sues White House over @Acosta :: “In the news media there has been an emotional reaction to Trump ... too many people for Trump or against Trump have become emotionally unhinged about this.”
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) November 13, 2018
+ WOODWARD on CNN lawsuit: “This is a negative ... Trump is sitting around saying, ‘This is great.” ... “When we engage in [Trump’s strategy] we’re taking his bait.”
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) November 13, 2018
+ WOODWARD: “The remedy [isn’t a lawsuit], it’s more serious reporting about what he’s doing.”
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) November 13, 2018
CNN’s lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday, argues President Trump and other White House officials violated Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment Rights.
“While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone," CNN said in a statement. "If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials."
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed it as “grandstanding” and said the White House would “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”