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West Virginia library says it won’t carry new Woodward book: ‘We have other Trump books’

Getty Images/Simon and Schuster

A library in West Virginia says it has no intentions of carrying a copy of veteran journalist Bob Woodward’s new tell-all book about the Trump administration.

The Washington Post reported Friday that the Morgan County Public Library in Berkeley Springs, W.Va., does not plan to place Woodward’s book, “Fear: Trump in the White House,” on its shelves.

{mosads}“I don’t want to get in the middle of that,”  the library’s director, Donna Crocker told The Post. “We have other Trump books.”

The Post noted that the decision has sparked controversy in the city, one that has a reported population of about 600 people. According to the Post, the city voted 75 percent for President Trump in the 2016 election.

Abby Chapple, a resident, voiced outrage at the decision in a Facebook post on Friday, comparing the move to the plot of dystopian novel, “Fahrenheit 451,” in which books are banned and burned.

“Well the future is here,” Chapple said on Facebook. “The librarian at our Berkeley Springs Library Has refused a FREE COPY of the Woodward book FEAR: Trump in the White House. She is reported to have said “We don’t want that kind of book here.”

Another resident, Rob Campbell, reportedly offered to donate a copy of the book to the library, but was rejected.

“Recently I called to offer Fear, the new Woodward book, but the library declined my offer saying they wouldn’t be putting books like that on the shelves anymore,” he said in a letter to a local newspaper, according to The Post.

The Morgan County Public Library did not immediately respond to a request for further comment from The Hill. 

Woodward’s book sold more than 750,000 copies in its first day of release, the most for any title in Simon & Schuster history, according to the 94-year-old publisher.

The book has gained widespread attention for reporting details of several instances pointing to an administration that is increasingly working at odds against Trump.

The White House and Trump have pushed back aggressively against many of the book’s anecdotes, which include White House aides snatching documents from Trump’s desk before he can see and act on them.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said the book is full of fabricated stories.

Woodward has continued to stand by his reporting. He said on Thursday he has “boxes of recordings and documents” to support the accounts reported in his book. 

Tags Donald Trump

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