PBS News Reporter Retracts False Claim That Trump Tried To Sabotage Israel Hostage Deal

PBS News reporter Judy Woodruff issued a retraction on Wednesday after she falsely reported at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was trying to sabotage a hostage deal between Hamas and Israel because it would help Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I want to clarify my remarks on the PBS News special on Monday night about the ongoing cease fire talks in the Middle East,” she said in a post on X. “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,” she continued. “This was a mistake and I apologize for it.”

Woodruff said on Monday night: “The reporting is that former President Trump is on the phone with the Prime Minister of Israel, urging him not to cut a deal right now, because that it’s believed that would help the Harris campaign.”

“So I don’t know where, where that–, I don’t know, who knows whether that will come about or not, but I have to think that the Harris campaign would like for President Biden to do what presidents do, which is work on that one,” she added.

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NEWS

PBS’ Judy Woodruff has issued a clarification and an apology for her remarks in this clip which went viral.

“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… pic.twitter.com/4nIhczmpj5

— Yashar Ali ???? (@yashar) August 21, 2024

Woodruff’s statement came after Trump campaign surrogate Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) demanded that she retract what she said on air, calling it “false” and “ridiculous.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded to Woodruff’s claim by saying that it was a “complete lie.”

Trump campaign surrogate @michaelgwaltz calls on @JudyWoodruff of PBS to RETRACT her report that Trump is urging Netanyahu to reject a hostage deal

“That is false. It’s ridiculous.” pic.twitter.com/16ZCRiXICK

— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) August 21, 2024