President Trump has reached out to the author of an upcoming book aimed at pushing back on Michael Wolff’s controversial bestseller “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.”
Washington Examiner media correspondent Eddie Scarry said he received a personal call from the president to discuss his upcoming book, “Fraud and Fiction.”
Scarry, who has been covering media for the Examiner since 2014, told the Hill the call was unexpected.
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“I wasn’t expecting the call,” Scarry said on Wednesday. “The conversation was about 10 minutes.”
The New York Post’s Page Six on Monday first reported news of Scarry’s book. Trump is reportedly a big fan of the New York daily tabloid going back to the 1970s.
Wolff’s book, which has been criticized for having many unsubstantiated claims, was so popular ahead of its launch that publisher Henry Holt moved the release date up in January. The inside look at the White House has gone on to sell more than 2 million copies.
Wolff, 64, also conducted dozens of interviews before abruptly canceling a media tour following heavy scrutiny after seeming to push the notion of an alleged affair between U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Trump.
The criticism came to a head when Wolff abruptly ended a pressing interview on Australia’s version of “Today” in late February, with the author removing his earpiece and walking out of the studio after claiming he couldn’t hear a question about apologizing to the president and first lady for suggesting he was having an affair with Haley, the former South Carolina governor.
Wolff has since canceled several scheduled interviews and events to promote the book, according to The Washington Post.
“Wolff’s fraud should have never been rewarded with a speaking tour,” Scarry said in an email when asked about Wolff’s media tour ending.
Bombardier Books, an imprint of Post Hill Press distributed by Simon & Schuster, will launch “Fraud and Fiction: The Real Truth Behind ‘Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,'” on April 6.