Major Garrett: “The Piece Which Drew Withering White House Criticism Goes On To Say The Truth Is It’s The President’s Amorality. His Leadership Style Was Impetuous, Petty, And Ineffective.” GARRETT: “The Op-Ed said the author and others are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations. The piece which drew withering white house criticism goes on to say the truth is it’s the president’s amorality. His leadership style was impetuous, petty, and ineffective.” [This Morning, CBS, 9/6/18; VIDEO]
Maggie Haberman: “The Sentiment Expressed In This Op-Ed Is Consistent With What We Heard From Our Own Sources Over The Last Two Years Now. And Frankly What We Heard From Some People In The Campaign Before That And In The Transition About What The President Understood About The Job And His Preparedness And Fitness For The Job.” HABERMAN: “What I know is that the sentiment expressed in this op-ed is consistent with what we heard from our own sources over the last two years now. And frankly what we heard from some people in the campaign before that and in the transition about what was the president understood about the job and his preparedness and fitness for the job. You’re seeing between this and the Woodward book in a way that we have not before.” [New Day, CNN, 9/6/18; VIDEO]
Maggie Haberman: “It Can’t All Be Made Up.” HABERMAN: “I think about how the white house is going to respond to Woodward book, including explosive new accounts that match the tone and tenor of what we have all been reporting for two years and the president has the same statement in that case. It can’t all be made up, and I think that decisions cannot be made based on how the white house might react. He was furious when he saw it.” [New Day, CNN, 9/6/18; VIDEO]
Wendy Sherman: “It Is Very Concerning, Very Worrying, Leaders Don’t Know What To Do Around The World.” SHERMAN: “It is very concerning, very worrying, leaders don’t know what to do around the world. And people in our own government who are assigned to negotiate, which is very tough to do as I explain in this book, takes a really long time, never know if they will be backed up by the President of the United States.” [New Day, CNN, 9/6/18; VIDEO]
John Dean: “It’s Troubling That We Have An Amoral President Who Has No Guidepost In His Decision-Making Process. This Is Not Good.” DEAN: “We have to trust them that it was high enough level and somebody who could speak with authority about this. That’s the given so I’m looking at the message and it’s troubling that we have an amoral president who has no guidepost in his decision-making process. This is not good. This is not good.” [New Day, CNN, 9/6/18; VIDEO]
David Chalian: “What You Saw Was A President Who Was Losing It Right Before The American People, Seething With Anger.” CHALIAN: “The only thing more astonishing was the president’s reaction yesterday. It was jaw dropping because what you saw was a president who was losing it right before the American people, seething with anger, some of that is totally understandable. But I think the president showed yesterday in his response how wounding this is. Severely wounding. We cannot overstate the significance of sort of the break that is occurring right now in the trump presidency and I don’t think you have to look anywhere beyond the president’s reaction to see that.” [New Day, CNN, 9/6/18; VIDEO]
Cecilia Vega: “So What We Have Heard In This Op-Ed Is Not An Isolated Sentiment At All. When You Often Talk To High Ranking Officials Here They Will Privately Say The Same Thing, That They Are Protecting The President From Himself, And Frankly The Country From The President’s Impulses But Today The West Wing Is Really Consumed With Trying To Find Out Who This Writer Is, We Know About That Fact-Finding Mission Overnight, And I Got To Say We Know White House Aides And Allies Overnight Were Circulating A Text Message Saying ‘The Sleeper Cells Have Awoken.’” [Good Morning America, ABC, 9/6/18; VIDEO]
Matthew Dowd: “It’s Completely Unprecedented. This Is Not A Leak, This Is A Torpedo From Within The Boat, Shooting A Hole In The Side Of The Hull On The Same Team.” GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: “It is hard to overstate just how extraordinary this situation is right now.” MATTHEW DOWD: “It’s completely unprecedented. This is not a leak, this is a torpedo from within the boat, shooting a hole in the side of the hull on the same team. This is a massive hole. Now the president who wants to demonstrate that he isn’t unhinged, has gone full Hunt for Red October, looking for Captain Ramius, to try to figure out who is at fault, who is doing this. I think this is a huge problem, it’s not only a problem externally, from the view we already know from the various books that have come out about the president, but it’s a bigger problem internally. How can anybody within the White House, including the president, trust anything they hear, see, or do?” [Good Morning America, ABC, 9/6/18; VIDEO]