Author Michael Wolff has faced renewed criticism for his suggestions that US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is having an extramarital affair with President Donald Trump.

Wolff's book, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," uses suggestive language in a passage about the pair, and Wolff confirmed that he believes the affair is real.

"I would say she seems to have embraced it," Wolff said of Haley, despite her denial of the rumors.

In response, critics have noted that "we must question other conclusions he has reached."



Nearly a month after the publication of his explosive book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," author Michael Wolff has again found himself under fire — this time for his role in fueling a rumor that US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is having an affair with President Donald Trump.

Wolff doubled down on suggestions he made about the affair in his book during an interview with theSkimm on Wednesday.

"I would say she seems to have embraced it,” Wolff said. "All she does is hammer on this fact. I mean, if I were being accused of something, and I am not accusing her of anything. She hasn't tried to avoid this, let's say."

A passage toward the end of Wolff's book uses suggestive language to describe the pair's interactions.

"She had become a particular focus of Trump's attention, and he of hers. ... The president had been spending a notable amount of private time with Haley on Air Force One, and was seen to be grooming her for a national political future."

During an appearance on "Real Time with Bill Maher" earlier this month, Wolff expanded upon this passage, saying he was "absolutely sure" Trump was having an affair with someone.

"You just have to read between the lines,” Wolff told Maher.

Haley's alleged affair came up during an interview she did with Politico in which she called the rumors "disgusting."

"It is absolutely not true. It is highly offensive and it's disgusting …" Haley told Politico. "It amazes me what people will do and the lies they will say for money and power."

Erik Wemple, an opinion writer for The Washington Post, pushed back on this claim in a scathing op-ed piece about Wolff's explosive suggestions.

"Embraced it? In what reportorial universe is Wolff living?" he wrote, referring to Wolff's comments for theSkimm. "If Wolff has genuinely concluded that Haley has really and truly 'embraced' this rumor, then we must question other conclusions he has reached."

Numerous claims in Wolff's book have been disputed by those quoted in it, including the Trump administration.

Wolff's justification for his claims has often failed to live up to journalistic standards.

"My evidence is the book," Wolff told MSNBC's Katy Tur. "Read the book. If it makes sense to you, if it strikes a chord, if it rings true, it is true."