Washington Post reporter Mark Berman said he had never been to the place where he was “spotted” in a passage published in the now-released tell-all book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.
“Spotted in the new Michael Wolff book about Trump: A Four Seasons breakfast featuring ‘Washington Post national reporter Mark Berman,’” Berman tweeted Friday. “(I have never had breakfast at the Four Seasons, never actually been there) (but now I wonder if I can use this to go eat there and expense it?).”
Spotted in the new Michael Wolff book about Trump: A Four Seasons breakfast featuring "Washington Post national reporter Mark Berman"
(I have never had breakfast at the Four Seasons, never actually been there) (but now I wonder if I can use this to go eat there and expense it?) pic.twitter.com/bWgVAwrEfj— Mark Berman (@markberman) January 5, 2018
Berman’s tweet prompted former White House press secretary Sean Spicer to weigh in on the passage.
“So I guess this would qualify as fake news?” he tweeted. “BTW the #bacon is to die for.”
So I guess this would qualify as fake news?BTW the #bacon is to die for https://t.co/cDFLl5hPpR— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) January 6, 2018
Berman later tweeted an update he believed he was mixed up with a lobbyist with a similar name, Mike Berman, who had been present at the breakfast.
“Update to this thread: Turns out the person actually having breakfast at the Four Seasons that day was the lobbyist Mike Berman, who confirms to me he was there the same day as Ivanka,” he said.
Update to this thread: Turns out the person actually having breakfast at the Four Seasons that day was the lobbyist Mike Berman, who confirms to me he was there the same day as Ivanka
(thanks to @alexburnsNYT for the suggestion) https://t.co/RvssZZ7M4X— Mark Berman (@markberman) January 6, 2018
The book’s integrity has been questioned by critics, who have pointed out several inconsistencies in author Michael Wolff’s reporting.
For example, Maggie Haberman, White House correspondent for the New York Times, accused Wolff of getting "basic details wrong" about President Trump's campaign and administration.
"I believe parts of it and then there are other parts that are factually wrong," she said in an interview with CNN on Friday. "I can see several places in the book that are wrong. So for instance, he inaccurately describes a report in the New York Times. He inaccurately characterizes a couple of incidents that took place early on in the administration. He gets basic details wrong."
The book has sent shockwaves throughout the political world this week as excerpts were released. Content from the book led Trump to denounce former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon after it was revealed Bannon said unflattering things about Trump’s family.
Henry Holt & Co., the book’s publisher, moved the release date up by four days after excerpts emerged, prompting Trump's legal team to submit a cease-and-desist letter to the publisher.