There is a reason that James Mattis has been a respected member of both the United States military and of President Trump’s staff.

He is plain spoken.

As I wrote here earlier today at Red State FEAR: Bob Woodward’s New Book Says Trump Staff Trashes POTUS some of the excerpts of Bob Woodward’s new book, “FEAR: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward,” have some of Trump’s senior staff trashing him.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis is one of those folks that Woodward claims said some unflattering things about POTUS #45. One of the things that the former general is alleged to have said about his new boss was this:

After Trump left a meeting with Defense Secretary James Mattis on North Korea, Woodward recounts, “Mattis was particularly exasperated and alarmed, telling close associates that the president acted like — and had the understanding of — ‘a fifth- or sixth-grader.’”

You know that was not going to sit well with El Presidente 45. Part of a tweet that Trump tweeted from Mattis had this to say about the Woodward book allegations.

“The contemptuous words about the President attributed to me in Woodward’s book were never uttered by me or in my presence. While I generally enjoy reading fiction, this is a uniquely Washington brand of literature, and his anonymous sources do not lend credibility.”

I know that Bob Woodward is a grizzled ole gumshoe reporter. He has won numerous awards, sold tens of millions of books and is one of the most feared reporters in Washington D.C.

Woodward might have also had something to do with Watergate depending on if you are talking to Carl Bernstein in one of his moods.

This gets tricky now.

Did Woodward get reliable sources here? Or was he sold a bill of goods from people who are part of the “Bury Trump at any cost crowd?” Quoting a Secretary of Defense with an impeccable record to this nation for over 30 years as saying he felt the Commander in Chief that he serves, “acted like — and had the understanding of — ‘a fifth- or sixth-grader,’” is pretty risky if you don’t have first-hand knowledge of him saying it.

Bob Woodward has gone against some powerful people but never a guy named “Mad Dog.”

Statement from Secretary of Defense, James Mattis: pic.twitter.com/OneaxKCneV — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2018