Reacting to the White House’s threat to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, even this morning’s Morning Joe panel, saying it creates a dangerous precedent, condemned the administration’s telling Woodward he will “regret” his coverage of the president’s ties to the sequester.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6r2qyQo1ypQ
“Woodward is correct in saying that the real danger here is this is intimidating to reporters who aren’t Bob Woodward,” Andrea Mitchell asserted. She also faulted the White House for not being able to take criticism and for responding so aggressively to Woodward.
Host Joe Scarborough jumped in to call a tweet by Obama adviser David Plouffe comparing Woodward to a retired, washed-up baseball pitcher (“Perfection gained once is rarely repeated”) as “pathetic,” “childish,” and “stupid.” Mad Money’s Jim Cramer later asked, “Is it possible that they’re ignorant [of who Woodward is]?”
Both Mitchell and Time’s political analyst Mark Halperin praised Woodward and emphasized a need for more reporters like him. Mitchell said “there isn’t enough tough reporting in Washington these days,” while Halperin admitted that “[i]t’s a little embarrassing that none of the rest of us were as aggressive as he was.”