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Woodward: I never called it a threat

Bob Woodward is seeking to distance himself from reports that he felt "threatened" by the White House, more than 24 hours after criticizing senior White House aide Gene Sperling for telling him he might regret questioning Obama's account of how sequestration came about.

In an interview with his own paper, The Washington Post, Woodward says he never called Sperling's comment a threat.

“I never characterized it as a ‘threat.' I think that was POLITICO’s word," he said, referring to the story about his initial interview with POLITICO. "I said I think that language is unfortunate, and I don’t think it’s the way to operate. . . . [Sperling’s] language speaks for itself. I don’t think that’s the way to operate.”

(WATCH: Woodward fallout: Press, pundits react)

Woodward never used the word "threat" in his interviews with POLITICO and CNN, but he frequently fastened upon Sperling's use of the word "regret" as an example of the White House trying to exert power. Woodward has also said that the word made him feel "uncomfortable," despite the fact that Sperling's email has been interpreted by many reporters as cordial and friendly.

"‘You’ll regret.’ Come on. I think if Obama himself saw the way they’re dealing with some of this, he would say, ‘Whoa, we don’t tell any reporter ‘you’re going to regret challenging us,'" he told POLITICO.

“They have to be willing to live in the world where they’re challenged,” he continued. “I’ve tangled with lots of these people. But suppose there’s a young reporter who’s only had a couple of years — or 10 years’ — experience and the White House is sending him an email saying, ‘You’re going to regret this.’ You know, tremble, tremble. I don’t think it’s the way to operate.”

In his subsequent interview with CNN, Woodward said, "They have the power. When someone says ‘you’ll regret something,’ they can use their power any way they want. It’s a tone question.... I’ve been dealing with White House people going back to the Nixon years. They called us every name in the book. [This] just strikes me as not a way to deal with this. It makes me uncomfortable.”

(Also on POLITICO: Press corps to Woodward: Really?)

Finally, during the course of his interview with CNN, Wolf Blitzer characterized Sperling's remarks as a threat and Woodward accepted that characterization.

"Those of us who have known you for a long time, we know you're not going to be intimidated or threatened by any senior official at the White House," Blitzer said. "You've gone through a lot worse than this."

"Indeed," Woodward said.

UPDATE (9:27 p.m.): Woodward appeared on Sean Hannity's Fox News program tonight and referred to Sperling's email as "coded."

"The problem I have with the Gene Sperling email — and this comes after a shouting match, lots of people shout at me — is that goes into the coded, 'You better watch out,'" Woodward told Hannity.