Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trump Administration Just Revoked the Press Pass of a 21 Year Veteran Journalist and Now He's Calling Them Out

Trump Administration Just Revoked the Press Pass of a 21 Year Veteran Journalist and Now He's Calling Them Out
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters before departing the White House March 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Trump is traveling to his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Typical.

The White House on Wednesday revoked the press credentials of a veteran Washington Post journalist in the latest episode of President Donald Trump's administration's aggression towards journalists.

Dana Milbank, who has covered West Wing politics since the early days of Bill Clinton's presidency, has had his access yanked.


Milbank blasted the decision in a blistering editorial in Wednesday's Washington Post.

"I was part of a mass purge of 'hard pass' holders after the White House implemented a new standard that designated as unqualified almost the entire White House press corps, including all seven of The Post’s White House correspondents. White House officials then chose which journalists would be granted 'exceptions.' It did this over objections from news organizations and the White House Correspondents’ Association," Milbank wrote.

Milbank thinks the administration's decision was political retribution.

"The Post requested exceptions for its seven White House reporters and for me, saying that this access is essential to our work (in my case, I often write 'sketches' describing the White House scene). The White House press office granted exceptions to the other seven, but not to me," he said. "I strongly suspect it’s because I’m a Trump critic. The move is perfectly in line with Trump’s banning of certain news organizations, including The Post, from his campaign events and his threats to revoke White House credentials of journalists he doesn’t like."

That Trump is being given a pass on banning reporters is extremely concerning.

"There’s something wrong with a president having the power to decide which journalists can cover him," Milbank said. "Virtually the entire White House press corps is credentialed under 'exceptions,'" he added.

The result is that journalists covering the White House now "all serve at the pleasure of Press Secretary Sarah Sanders because they all fail to meet credentialing requirements — and therefore, in theory, can have their credentials revoked any time they annoy Trump or his aides, like CNN’s Jim Acosta did."

CNN sued the adminstration last November after Sanders tried to have Acosta banned from the press corps.

After a judge ordered Acosta's credentials reinstated, the White House began imposing sweeping limits on who would be granted access to the building.

"No credentials to any journalist who is not in the building on at least 90 out of the previous 180 days — in other words, seven of every 10 workdays," wrote Milbank. This has harmed contractors such as cameramen "who now could lose their livelihood," Milbank noted.

Milbank was notified after the revocation of his credentials that he "had been in the building only seven times in the previous 180 days," but that was because "two foot surgeries during that period kept me at home."

Press access to administration officials has also been significantly stifled in recent months. Press briefings have been reduced to "on the record, but impromptu and haphazard" gaggles in the White House driveway, which lack the structure necessary for reporters to effectively gather information.

These limitations have expanded to outside events as well.

"The White House has also restricted access by allowing only one journalist from a news organization at most events, and by admitting journalists to events only if they register days in advance," Milbank explained. "This has sharply reduced journalists’ attendance at the White House — just in time for the 90-day attendance purge."

Milbank said that the "lesser credential called a six-month pass" he was offered will not provide him sufficient access. But Milbank is determined to do his job no matter what.

"I’ll keep covering the White House, albeit from a distance, and wait for things to return to normal — if they ever do," he concluded.

None of this is normal.

Some people think the press should boycott coverage of the White House altogether.

Moves like this are a frightening sign.

Some see this as a badge of honor; Milbank must have really gotten under Trump's skin.

MAGA?

More from People

Vivian Wilson
@vivllainous/Instagram

Elon Musk's Trans Daughter Just Made Her Drag Debut At An Anti-ICE Fundraiser—And Fans Are Obsessed

Elon Musk's disowned trans daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson has made a name for herself online for mercilessly dragging the father who once said she was "dead" to him because she was "killed by the woke mind virus."

But recently she took it to a new level, leveraging her fame in her first drag performance at a Los Angeles anti-ICE fundraiser.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Administration Fast-Tracks Eliminating National Suicide Hotline's LGBTQ+ Youth Support

On Wednesday morning, news broke that the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump was eliminating certain suicide and self harm resources provided through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

The lifeline offered callers options to speak to people who specialize in meeting their needs. But the Trump administration decided this was a service that LGBTQ+ young people don't deserve.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Blasted For Announcing New Additions To The White House Lawn As Global Tensions Escalate

President Donald Trump was criticized after announcing that two new flagpoles would be added to the North and South Lawns of the White House—not the greatest look amid heightened global unease as tensions between Israel and Iran ramp up.

According to the Associated Press, Trump watched as a crane installed the newest flagpole on the South Lawn, remarking, “It’s such a beautiful pole.” He later returned to the site to salute as the American flag was raised for the first time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump from CNN supercut
CNN

Trump Mocked For 'Two Weeks' Iran Deadline With Supercut Of All His 'Two Weeks' Promises

President Donald Trump has a history of promising to resolve problems within "two weeks," and a new viral supercut mocks him for all the times he's said as much—including right now with tensions in the Middle East higher than ever.

Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether to involve U.S. forces directly in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, citing what he called a “substantial chance” for renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less