Wolff couldn’t set cat among pigeons, despite loose US libel laws
IT’S the old ‘red flag in the flower pot’ story all over again – and no better man than Michael Wolff, now raking in the dollars from his much hyped tale on Donald Trump, to do the needful. The flag in the flower pot became one of the enduring images in the movie and book chronicling the exploits of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the Watergate saga. Their much vaunted journalistic quest ended Richard Nixon’s presidency. Fifty years on, it’s still the most acclaimed derring-do tale of investigative journalism. Their dogged desire to expose dirty deeds emanating from the White House is without question. But the real story, on how they got the goods on the president, may be more banal than was subsequently portrayed in the telling.
Mystery abounded for decades as to the identity of ‘Deep Throat’, the key source for much of their material. In fact it took 30 years for FBI man Mark Felt to out himself. He was number two in the Bureau during the Watergate scandal. His motivation for trying to do down the president was complex; notably he was convinced he had been nobbled in his efforts to land a more senior job in the intelligence services.
The overall Watergate story was itself laced with plenty of drama. But the suspicion remains it was hammed up a bit by Woodward and Bernstein so as to make the book recounting their exploits a little more ‘sexy’. The anecdote that Woodward regularly put a red flag in a potted plant on his apartment window – signalling he needed to talk to Felt – is one such aside.
And so it is with Michael Wolff. He is a well-known figure in the Washington and New York media bubble, where his exotic private life has attracted almost as much attention as his journalistic work. Now aged 64, he has a two-yearold child with his girlfriend who is 30 years younger. He filed for divorce from his wife without telling her.
But more relevant in light of the controversy surrounding his book on Trump is a well-worn reputation for sometimes cutting fast and loose with the facts. This is especially so should they interfere with his talent for spinning a yarn. And that is the essence of his supposed inside story on The Donald and those around him. It is a racy and readable account – but overwhelmingly based on lots of salacious gossip.
As the first flush of hype surrounding its publication died down, reputable media outlets in the US and Britain have highlighted a series of factual errors in the book. They have also referred to Wolff’s record as a controversialist. He is all too happy to stir up a row when the fallout will draw attention to his own work. And he sees unpopularity among his peers as a bonus, making his writing more saleable to the masses. “Everywhere I turned was someone who hated me,” he is reported to have gleefully concluded at a social get-together attended by names from the media and political worlds.
He may well argue some of the assertions are not provable one way or the other. And in some instances he just labours the obvious. For example, it’s hardly surprising the new president could scarcely believe he had beaten Hillary Clinton. The fact that a lot of Trump’s aides allegedly regard him as a ‘moron’, or worse, is really neither here nor there. The old phrase ‘they would say that, wouldn’t they’ comes to mind.
Trump actively cultivates a kind of populist stupidity, often laced with vitriol and insult, as reflected in his latest comments on immigrants. But as far as he is concerned, this tactic has made him the most powerful man in the world. In any case, recent American presidents such as Ronald Reagan and George W Bush could hardly be classed as intellectuals. Indeed it’s a moot point whether a glittering academic career is a prerequisite for success in the rough-and-tumble world of politics.
The author’s other insinuation, that Trump has in a sense lost his marbles and is regarded by some staffers as unhinged, is not too surprising. That’s the image he has among the millions of Americans who voted for Clinton, not to mention a majority of people in this country. Outside of his support base there is a widespread belief there is something flaky about him.
But we still don’t know if there is method to his madness. Politically speaking, he will always be a sole trader. It’s his way or the highway, as is proven by the ongoing exodus from the White House of those who were one-time key supporters. Some of his utterances and decisions have been appalling, but the economy is trundling along quite well. He also got his much vaunted tax deal over the line. And perhaps his ‘rocket man’ jibes might, just might, have provoked Kim Jong-un to open up some dialogue with South Korea.
TRUMP’S one-time close adviser Steve Bannon, unceremoniously dumped overboard when the president decided he was more trouble than he was worth, now speaks with the rage of those convinced they have been hard done by. However, his comments that alleged links between Trump advisers and Russian officials in mid-2016 were “treasonous” and “unpatriotic” may well be true.
This smoking gun linking Trump to the Kremlin could yet prove to be his ultimate undoing. Bannon’s remarks may have fuelled Trump’s initial angry response to the book. But hard proof is needed to substantiate all the rumours and innuendo flying around.
The bottom line is that Wolff was greatly helped in writing a colourful and readable story by the more relaxed defamation laws in the US, compared to much of Europe. It would be impossible to publish such a work in Ireland without cast-iron proof to back up some of the key assertions made.
So the author has told us that appearance-conscious Trump is carrying more pounds than he would like around the midriff, because of a liking for burgers and chips. And he has two or three televisions in his bedroom. We are informed his wife has her own sleeping quarters, but there is a third place of rest, which presumably is available to either party. Such tittle-tattle about the rich and famous is always irresistible. But it’s hardly the kind of stuff that will cause the US president to lose sleep, regardless of how much we speculate on where he might bed down on a particular night.
Trump cultivates a kind of populist stupidity. And as far as he is concerned, this behaviour made him the most powerful man in the world