Just as the woman who ignited the flame war between the White House and Fox News is leaving the administration, tempers appear to be cooling down. After a few days of denying that they would grant Fox’s Major Garrett — along with several interviewers from other networks — a brief sit-down with President Obama, the White House today admitted that there would indeed be an interview. “I will interview POTUS on camera Wed am here in Beijing,” Garrett tweeted. “4 other networks will too. 10 mins per. Many had asked. Can say now.” The White House says they denied that there would be an interview because it had not yet been settled who would get the sit-downs when the story first emerged. Of course, it’s in the administration’s interest to play down this brief chat as a détente if they’re trying to move away from the “war with Fox News” story line altogether. But it is a significant step, especially if what Garrett means when he says “many had asked” is that many news outlets had sought after the four interview spots. The taping is scheduled for 9:20 tonight [Update: The whole thing will be aired during Bret Baier’s program tomorrow at six p.m.]. We’re very excited to see how both President Obama and Garrett himself will behave.
W.H. denies Drudge report [Politico]
Related: Why Declaring War on Fox News Could Be a Mistake for Obama
