Journalist Bob Woodward says Kentucky Rep. James Comer misquoted him in book on Biden
Ahead of Rep. James Comer’s new book on his investigation into the family of President Joe Biden, one of Washington’s most prominent journalists is claiming he was misquoted in the work.
“All the President’s Money: Investigating the Secret Foreign Schemes That Made the Biden Family Rich,” from the Kentucky Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight & Reform is set to hit the shelves at bookstores Tuesday.
Woodward is one of the most famous journalists of all time. His work with coauthor Carl Bernstein at the Washington Post, recounted fully in a book called “All the President’s Men,” led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon over the infamous Watergate scandal.
Now 81, Woodward has continued to publish books on the White House and the Washington political scene.
He told The Guardian that excerpts from Comer’s work, whose name is something of an homage to Woodward and Bernstein’s famous book, recounting his conversation with Comer in 2023 are “false.”
The statements in question?
Per The Guardian, which had a copy of Comer’s book pre-release, Comer wrote that Woodward said “everyone in DC knew” Biden allowed his family to peddle access to the president and that it would be hard to prove and that the practice should be illegal.
He also wrote that Woodward said Comer’s investigation into Biden’s family — which became a high-profile news item for several months — “would either be bigger than Watergate or it would end up being a big nothing burger.”
Comer wrote that Woodward also boasted about the Watergate investigation and made negative comments about the current Washington political press corps.
Woodward told the outlet he said none of that. The journalist said he recorded the February 2023 conversation, a dinner meeting between the two plus Woodward’s reporting partner Robert Costa, and has reviewed the nearly three-hour tape.
“I made none of those statements he attributes to me. I repeat none, and not even in a paraphrased form — either about Biden or about the media,” he said. “I never said Biden was corrupt or sold access.”
Woodward was responding to excerpts from The Guardian, and added that he had not read the book.
“I don’t know any more about him or what else might be in his book. But it is a textbook case of someone seriously misremembering or putting his own comments into someone else’s mouth — in this case, mine,” Woodward wrote to The Guardian. “He is peddling stories, conclusions and allegations that just do not check out at all.”
Comer provided a brief response to the Herald-Leader in which he encouraged people to read his book in full.
“Bob is commenting on a book he hasn’t read,” Comer wrote. “My oversight investigation exposed the Biden family’s corrupt influence peddling schemes in detail and everyone should read this book.”
The Kentucky Republican, who was previously the state’s commissioner of agriculture before moving on to represent Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District, has risen to national prominence taking the helm of the oversight committee in 2023. He is a mainstay on conservative television and is seen as a strong contender for the governor’s mansion — which eluded him in 2015’s GOP primary with the victory of former Gov. Matt Bevin — in 2027.
During the upcoming administration of president-elect Donald Trump, Comer intends to work with former GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy and billionaire businessman Elon Musk in their effort to reduce the size and scope of the federal government.
Comer’s book is among the most pre-ordered in the country on Amazon. It’s listed as number 75 overall and tops categories related to Washington politics.
Comer met with Trump this past weekend at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida along with other Republican committee chairmen in the U.S. House of Representatives. The property, where Trump holds court and hosts prominent guests, has become a hub for important leaders in business and politics in the lead-up to Trump’s presidency.
This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 1:15 PM.
