Politico Corrects Article After White House Threatens 'Consequences'

Politico has issued a correction to an article concerning White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles after the White House threatened unspecified “consequences” if it did not retract or amend its reporting. However, the publication declined to alter two other articles, accusing the Trump administration of retaliation.

On Monday, the White House counsel sent Politico a letter demanding retractions or corrections for three articles published within a 48-hour period. The articles suggested Wiles was involved in creating internal White House drama. Politico has since corrected one of these articles, an Oct. 16 report that implied Wiles orchestrated the departure of press secretary Katie Zacharia after only five days on the job. The correction states that Wiles did not play a direct role in setting up Zacharia's media appearances and that the earlier version “mischaracterized” her involvement.

Evidence surfaced showing that Zacharia herself had pushed for the television interviews, reportedly writing, “I’d like to do news hits morning and evening.”

In response to the White House's demands, Politico's outside counsel, Theodore Boutrous, sent a letter to the White House on Wednesday. Boutrous rejected the White House's accusations that Politico had published “fanciful fiction” and “purposeful falsehoods.” He stated that the outlet takes such assertions seriously, which led to the correction of the single article. Boutrous also asserted that the timing and content of the White House letter supported the outlet's view that the president's ban on Politico, CNN, and MS NOW from White House coverage was motivated by unlawful retaliation and viewpoint discrimination.

The White House counsel, William Scharf, had referenced three specific articles in his letter to Politico's global editor in chief, Jonathan Greenberger. These included an Oct. 15 story titled “Trump’s ice maiden is under fire,” which claimed the president was considering a replacement for Wiles; an Oct. 16 article stating the previous day's report caused a “freakout” within the White House, which the administration denied; and the article detailing Zacharia's exit.

Scharf accused Politico of publishing “demonstrably false and defamatory articles” to create a narrative of White House dysfunction. He claimed the outlet ignored direct refutations from senior staffers and the president. Scharf also alleged that a Politico reporter indicated Wiles was kept as the “hook” for the Zacharia story, calling it a “legally fraught and alarming admission.”

The White House demanded Politico issue corrections or retractions for the three articles, apologize to Trump and Wiles, and remove the stories from its archives within 48 hours. The letter warned that failure to comply would lead to an “immediate review of Politico’s relationship with the White House, and, of course, consideration of all other appropriate and legal remedies.”

By Thursday, Politico had not issued corrections for the two remaining articles concerning Wiles. The outlet stated in its letter that it would “defend its journalism and the right of its reporters to … report fearlessly on the President and other White House officials.”

White House spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez stated, “Politico should apologize to its dwindling readership for knowingly publishing lies.” She characterized Politico’s actions as a “reckless disregard for the truth” and a “disgrace to journalism.”

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also criticized Politico, calling it a “foreign-op designed to interfere in American politics and meddle in our elections with disinformation and misinformation.”

President Trump has previously banned Politico, CNN, and MS NOW from covering him on Air Force One and in the Oval Office. Access to the White House grounds for these outlets was initially revoked but later restored by a judge.

In separate instances, Trump has also had conflicts with the Associated Press, banning it from the Oval Office and Air Force One over the outlet's refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. A federal judge also reinstated the AP's access.

CNN has also threatened further legal action against the White House if its access to Air Force One and the Washington press pool is not reinstated.