President Donald Trump chided reporters for asking him about author Bob Woodward’s book on Tuesday, during a briefing on Hurricane Florence.
Trump spoke at length about the preparations for the storm, urging Americans to take the threat seriously.
But one White House reporter at the briefing asked whether he believed statements from his former aides Gary Cohn and Rob Porter distancing themselves from the Woodward book.
“You shouldn’t be talking about that right now because it doesn’t matter,” Trump replied. “But I really appreciate their statements, their statement was excellent.”
Cohn and Porter are quoted extensively in the book on deep background but both issued “non-denial denials” about their work with Woodward.
He added that the statements again proved that Woodward’s book was a “book of fiction.” Woodward continues to stand by his reporting.
Trump will remain at the White House for the rest of the week to monitor the hurricane response.