The White House is citing the Wall Street Journal’s “fake and defamatory conduct” in its reporting on President Donald Trump’s past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein as its reason to remove its reporter from on upcoming trip with the president.
The WSJ reporter will no longer be part of the media pool to accompany Trump this weekend as he heard to Scotland, Mediaite reported.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Politico about the decision.
“As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces,” she said.
“Due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board. Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible,” she added.
She said this move was made in response to the WSJ’s reporting on a “bawdy” letter Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein.
Trump is suing the media outlet and its owner Rupert Murdoch, citing defamation. The president is seeking $10 billion in damages.
Weijia Jiang, CBS News Senior White House Correspondent and president of White House Correspondents’ Association, released a statement about the situation.
“This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling, and it defies the First Amendment,” Jiang said. “Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media.”
“We strongly urge the White House to restore the Wall Street Journal to its previous position in the pool and aboard Air Force One for the President’s upcoming trip to Scotland,” she added. “The WHCA stands ready to work with the administration to find a quick resolution.”
This is not the first time Trump has removed a media outlet from covering the White House.
Earlier this year, Trump targeted the Associated Press for its unwillingness to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
