National Diplomat: Concerns about possible censorship emerged when the Trump Administration opted to manage the “press pool” that follows the president. First, it was the Associated Press, and now it’s the Wall Street Journal.
On Monday, the White House announced that it will revoke one of the press pool seats for the Wall Street Journal on President Trump’s trip to Scotland, where he will give a speech.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the alteration was made “due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct,” referring to Trump’s and Jeffrey Epstein’s stories.
The Journal’s July 17 article detailed a set of letters given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, one of which included a note with Trump’s name and an outline of a naked woman. Trump claimed defamation the next day, asserting “no authentic letter or drawing exists.”
Now, Trump is using one of the powers he has been granted—controlling who gets to see him—to punish the media group that Rupert Murdoch owns. A Journal reporter who has not participated in reporting the Epstein birthday letter was expected to cover the president’s trip to Scotland.
Up until this year, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), which represents the press corps, managed the pool assignments. In February, however, Leavitt removed the group entirely and took control of the pool, giving the administration a new form of leverage.
A pool is a small group of reporters that travels with the president and covers events on a rotational basis on behalf of the entire press corps. Having a pool rotation is critical because a lot of presidential events, including photo opportunities and Q&A sessions on the presidential aircraft, are held in small groups.
While Trump was in a tussle with the AP over its nickname for the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump ordered to be renamed the Gulf of America, Leavitt removed the correspondents’ association from the picture.
As an international news agency, the AP is obligated to cover the Gulf of Mexico in its stories, albeit under Trump’s order. This gave rise to a multi-month court saga over access to the title “Gulf”.
Leavitt remarked on Monday that “the appeals court affirmed that neither the Wall Street Journal nor any other publication has a right to unrestricted access to cover the President of the United States in the Oval Office, on Air Force One, or in his private offices.”
“Thirteen different outlets will take part in the press pool for the coverage of the President’s visit to Scotland,” she added, declining to comment further, saying the Journal would not be one of the outlets.
The White House did not answer right away to the query of which outlet would be replacing the Journal.
The Journal’s spokesperson chose not to comment on the matter of the retaliatory action. But regarding the questions about the lawsuit last week, the same spokesperson claimed, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
The White House has not made any attempts to contact the Journal, which has reported on the White House in strong negative tones. This action on the White House’s part, in the eyes of the media watching, is blatant disregard of the First Amendment,” said WHCA president Weijia Jiang in a formal comment.
As she continues, Jiang said: “All who value democracy must be on guard as speech is attacked. For trumping the Journal’s coverage, the White House is being warned to forgo being the first to take off the plane windows for the cameras while in flight.” Jiang further said, “The Journal must be allowed to possess the part which grants them full access during all times to the President when he is aboard his aircraft.”
Equally swift condemnation came from First Amendment organizations concerned by the White House’s action. Commenting on the situation, Seth Stern, the advocacy director at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, was quoted saying, “It’s unconstitutional, not to mention thin-skinned and petty, for a president to remove access as a punishment for a news outlet covering a story he desperately wanted suppressed.”
“Let’s be honest, the only upside for the Journal reporters scheduled to accompany Trump on the golfing trip is that they can now devote their time to far more important investigations, including but not limited to Trump’s connections to Epstein and the unparalleled attempts to intimidate the press.”
