David Axelrod Confronts Bob Woodward: 'If You Felt Threatened, Why Didn't You Say, Don't Threaten Me?'

MSNBC

Former White House and Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod challenged Bob Woodward over the recent flap between him and White House adviser Gene Sperling, repeatedly questioning Woodward on whether he really felt "threatened."

Over the past 15 hours, Woodward has backed off his claim that the White House threatened him. But Woodward told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday night that it felt like a "coded, 'you better watch out.'"

"I know what intimidation is. And Bob, the headline in the Washington Post, your newspaper, was that 'Woodward said he was threatened by the White House,'" Axelrod said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" today. "... But when the full emails came out, they were as cordial as can be. His email was cordial, and your response was cordial."

"So if you felt threatened," Axelrod continued, "why didn't you say to Gene, 'Don't threaten me?'"

"No, I did not feel threatened," Woodward responded. "What I have said, David — come on, you are putting words in my mouth. I said I don't think this is the way to operate. And you and I have had many discussions. You've never said to me, 'Oh, you're going to regret doing that.' Am I correct?"

Axelrod said that Sperling and Woodward were having a "specific discussion about a specific point."

"And by the way, I'm not putting words in your mouth, Bob. It's your newspaper that said you said you were threatened," Axelrod said.

Watch the exchange below, courtesy of MSNBC:

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