Scoop: Wolff taped interviews with Bannon, top officials

Axios ^ | January 4, 2018 | Mike Allen

[Pinkbell]

Michael Wolff has tapes to back up quotes in his incendiary book — dozens of hours of them.

Among the sources he taped, I'm told, are Bannon and former White House deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh.

So that's going to make it harder for officials to deny embarrassing or revealing quotes attributed to them in "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," out Tuesday.

In some cases, the officials thought they were talking off the record. But what are they going to do now?

Although the White House yesterday portrayed Wolff as a poseur, he spent hours at a time in private areas of the West Wing, including the office of Reince Priebus when he was chief of staff.

The White House says Wolff was cleared for access to the West Wing fewer than 20 times.

Wolff, a New Yorker, stayed at the Hay Adams Hotel when he came down to D.C., and White House sources frequently crossed Lafayette Park to meet him there.

Part of Wolff's lengthy index entry for Bannon:

(see at link)

Some reporters and officials are calling the book sloppy, and challenging specific passages.

How could Wolff possibly know for sure what Steve Bannon and the late Roger Ailes said at a private dinner? It turns out Wolff hosted the dinner for six at his Manhattan townhouse.

[rlmorel]

I wouldn’t have made the link either, but that doesn’t mean a link isn’t there and can’t be made.

There is a lot of money, a LOT of it behind that forced mandate, and a lot of people with skin in the game on it.

[jospehm20]

President Trump hiring Bannon was the mistake.

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

This is the net effect of Trump allowing former Goldman Sachs worker Bannon into his cabinet.