Reporter: Trump staffers might think twice about a tell-all

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Political reporter Robert Costa said White House staffers face no constraints if they want to write a tell-all about the Trump administration.

But Costa, a Washington Post reporter and moderator of PBS' "Washington Week," said there's a more pertinent question: Will they dare to?

Given that President Donald Trump is very active on social media and relishes "public war," former staffers such as Reince Preibus and Sean Spicer should brace themselves if they choose to write candid accounts, he said.

"If you really go out there, be prepared: He may come right at you," and there will be a personal and political cost, Costa said.

If ex-staffers decide against the risks of candor, the leak-prone administration makes it likely details will emerge in others' books, he told a TV critics' meeting Monday.

Costa's Q&A with the group began shortly after the abrupt exit of Anthony Scaramucci as short-lived White House communications director.

"You think you're the only ones covering drama," Costa said, jokingly. "I'm waiting for the (panel to start) and 'The Mooch' is out."

Costa was named host of "Washington Week" in April, following the November 2016 cancer death of longtime moderator Gwen Ifill.