When the White House told Politico its press pass was revoked last week, they used a story the news organization wrote that cited a “senior administration official … granted anonymity,” claiming it threatened national security.
Status reported Wednesday that the senior administration official quoted was Vice President JD Vance, who was talking to reporters on a call authorized by the White House. Vance, on the call, had said odds of a preliminary deal to end the United States war with Iran were between 80 and 85 percent, according to Politico.
Before Vance made his comment, The Washington Post reported, a White House aide had told journalists “the contents of this call are on background, attributable to a senior administration official. By remaining on the line, you agree to those terms.”
“There is no embargo for the contents of the call,” the aide said.
Along with Politico, President Donald Trump banned CNN and MS Now from the White House as well, a move the news outlets are fighting in court. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately restore media access.
Other outlets who were on the call, such as the Associated Press, Bloomberg and CNBC, also reported on it and quoted Vance, calling him a “senior administration official” but were not prohibited from the White House.
Round out your reading
- He built his own Flock-style camera to track police. The police didn’t like it.
- Trump’s apparent joke about letting Iran bomb LA and San Diego catches bipartisan condemnation.
- Grandparents are fighting for access to their grandchildren. Here’s what the law says.
- When the ‘victim’ is made with AI, child pornography cases get complicated.
- Fibermaxxing is trending. Here’s what the science says.
