White House threatens Politico with 'consequences' unless it retracts stories about Trump's chief of staff
The White House has threatened Politico with unspecified consequences unless the news outlet retracts or corrects three stories about President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and issues a public apology, Axios reported on October 21.
In a letter sent to Politico's global editor-in-chief, Jonathan Greenberger, on October 19, White House Counsel Will Scharf gave the publication 48 hours to address what he described as false reporting.
Scharf singled out three articles published on October 15 and 16.
One reported that Trump was considering replacing Wiles, a claim the president dismissed as "fake news." Another described turmoil inside the White House following that report, while a third suggested Wiles had helped arrange a Fox News interview that contributed to the departure of former press secretary Katie Zacharia.
The White House and Fox News disputed the account of Zacharia's interview. According to Axios, White House officials provided Politico with text messages before publication that they said showed Zacharia, rather than Wiles, had arranged the appearance.
"Freedom of the press is not a professional exemption from accountability," Scharf wrote, demanding that Politico correct or retract the articles, remove the disputed reporting from its archives and publicly apologize to Trump and Wiles.
Otherwise, he warned, the administration would immediately review its relationship with Politico and consider "all other appropriate and available legal remedies."
A Politico spokesperson did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also accused Politico of being a "foreign-op" intended to interfere in US politics and elections. Politico is owned by German media company Axel Springer.
Part of a broader dispute over press access
The warning comes amid an ongoing legal battle between the Trump administration and several US news organizations over restrictions on their access to the president.
Politico, CNN and MS NOW challenged the administration after being barred from certain White House coverage. A federal judge restored their access to White House grounds in October, although restrictions on covering Trump in the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One remained.
Axios reported that the administration had not specified what further action it might take against Politico. A White House official said "all options are on the table."
The dispute adds to a series of confrontations between Trump and news organizations whose reporting he has criticized.