Members of the White House press corps are now restricted from the press secretary’s office, the latest in a series of Trump administration actions to limit media access.
The new rule says journalists cannot access what’s known as the “Upper Press” office space, where White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt works, “without an appointment.”
This area has been accessible to White House correspondents for decades, supporting a free flow of information between the president and the public.
The White House says the clampdown is due to security concerns.
“This policy will ensure adherence to best practices pertaining to access to sensitive material,” a White House memo asserted on Friday night.
In response, the White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents hundreds of credentialed reporters, said it “unequivocally opposes any effort” to limit journalists from areas that have long been accessible for newsgathering, “including the press secretary’s office.”
“The new restrictions hinder the press corps’ ability to question officials, ensure transparency, and hold the government accountable, to the detriment of the American public,” the association said.
As CNN’s Jeff Zeleny explained, reporters routinely “wait in the hall” by the press secretary’s office and seek information from communications aides. “When there is breaking news, that often happens,” Zeleny said.
Now, “reporters will only have access to a smaller set of offices of junior advisers, junior aides, junior press secretaries,” according to the White House.
White House communications director Steven Cheung’s office is also deemed off-limits due to the change.
Cheung, who regularly expresses hostility toward reporters on social media platform X, asserted in a Friday night post that, “some reporters have been caught” taking pictures of sensitive information and “eavesdropping on private, closed-door meetings.”
That claim came as news to White House press corps leaders, who are not aware of colleagues being “caught.”
Early in Bill Clinton’s presidency, Clinton aides similarly attempted to bar journalists from the “upper press” area, causing an outcry. That ban was rescinded.
Journalists had normal access to the offices during President Trump’s first term in office. But in his second term, Trump and his aides have taken several steps to stymie news coverage and circumvent traditional media outlets.
Last winter, the administration blocked the Associated Press from attending some White House events, leading to a First Amendment lawsuit that is still working its way through the courts.
The administration has also stopped publishing transcripts of Trump’s remarks; has taken control of daily press pool assignments; and has invited fawning pro-Trump commentators to presidential Q&As.
Some cabinet secretaries have followed Trump’s lead. Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth implemented severe new restrictions for Pentagon press pass credentialing, leading virtually every major media outlet to reject the rules and give up access to the Pentagon complex.
CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg contributed to this report.
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