Judy Woodruff Issues Apology for Trump-Netanyahu Report Amid Denials
PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff apologized for a story alleging that former President Donald Trump had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to postpone a hostage accord with Hamas for political gain ahead of the 2024 election, a claim both leaders have strongly denied, Fox News reports.
In her statement posted on X, Woodruff expressed regret for the reporting that sparked controversy.
“This was a mistake and I apologize for it,” Woodruff wrote.
She posted, “I want to clarify my remarks on the PBS News special on Monday night about the ongoing cease fire talks in the Middle East. As I said, this was not based on my original reporting; I was referring to reports I had read, in Axios and Reuters, about former President Trump having spoken to the Israeli Prime Minister. In the live TV moment, I repeated the story because I hadn’t seen later reporting that both sides denied it.”
However, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office denounced Woodruff’s reporting, telling The Jerusalem Post this week that the anchor pushed “a complete lie.”
Netanyahu’s office also released a statement denying Axios’ report about a phone call between the prime minister and Trump about the Gaza hostage and cease-fire deal that the outlet claimed happened on Aug. 14. Axios updated the story last week to reflect Netanyahu’s denial.
Trump said there was no the reported phone call, stating that he last spoke with Netanyahu in July when the latter visited his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
