Veteran journalist Bob Woodward outlined an email he recently received from former Defense Secretary James Mattis in which he appeared to agree with Woodward's dire warnings about the second Trump administration. .
Woodward, who appeared on Thursday's “Bulwark Podcast,” also said that Mattis, who served under former President Donald Trump, is rated by General Mark Milley as “the most dangerous man in history.” He acknowledged this and told the host that he seemed to agree with it.
“He thinks this book is important,” the thief said of Mr. Mattis. “He believes it's true. And it was, you know, like, 'Hey, I get this.' It was the strongest support. ”
Woodward also said the former defense secretary's emails reflected some of his theories about Trump that he outlined in his new book, “War.”
“Yes, definitely,” he said said On the podcast. “And it supports this process of trying to clearly say, 'The threat is great, so let's not downplay that threat.'”
Mattis was President Trump's first secretary of defense. He resigned in December 2018 after clashing with the former president over the withdrawal of US troops from Syria.
President Trump criticized Mattis' leadership in June 2020, calling him “the most overrated general in the world.” The reprimand came after a former administration official slammed his former boss, claiming he was dividing the country in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd protests.
“Donald Trump is the first president in my life who doesn't try to unite the American people, who doesn't even pretend to try,” Mattis wrote at the time.
“Rather, he is trying to divide us. “We are seeing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of lack of mature leadership. “We are doing so,” he continued.
Woodward's latest comments come as Trump faces intense scrutiny over his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That criticism has only been exacerbated by a new book claiming the former president is still in contact with Putin.
Trump's campaign denied the allegations, but the Republican presidential candidate said: “I won't comment on that, but if I did, I would say it would be a wise thing to do.”
