Now that the article is out, are you surprised by how it has been received/commented on? By the public and by the administration?
I’m pleased by the overwhelmingly favorable public reaction to the story–and not at all bothered by the administration’s response. They’ve failed to challenge a single assertion or quotation from the piece. That’s because they know it’s rock solid.
Do you think this is the last bit of significant access, and subsequent output, any journalist will ever get from this administration? Or do you think that them “closing their doors” to such an extent would create more problems than weathering an occasionally problematic article?
My access to Susie Wiles was extraordinary and rare–and a decision made by her rather that any kind of White House policy. The Trump administration hasn’t made a habit of talking to mainstream media reporters and I don’t think that’s going to change.
If you revisited this story a year from now, what thread would you most want to follow further?
I’d want to pursue many threads–retribution, Epstein, Venezuela, the midterms, and many more!
How frustrating is it to have off the record information in interviews like this? I can only imagine there are times you think “wow, people really deserve to know this,” but can’t share it.
Actually, most of the explosive revelations from the interviews were made by Susie Wiles on the record. Pretty amazing, no?
Did Wiles ever make a compelling case that Trump was ever unfairly or irrationally maligned?
No, she never made a case for Trump’s unfair portrayal by the press. She simply asserted that it was true.