By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A new White House rule issued Friday restricts the ability of credentialed journalists to freely access the offices of press secretary Karoline Leavitt and other top communications officials in the West Wing, near the Oval Office.
The new memorandum from the National Security Council bans journalists from accessing Room 140, also known as “Upper Press,” without a prior appointment, citing the need to protect potentially sensitive material. It said the change would take effect immediately.
The White House move follows restrictions put in place earlier this month for reporters at the Department of Defense, a move that prompted dozens of journalists to vacate their offices in the Pentagon and return their credentials.
The National Security Council said the change was made to protect sensitive material now being routinely handled by White House communications officials as a result of changes to the council.
“In order to protect such material, and maintain coordination between National Security Council Staff and White House Communications Staff, members of the press are no longer permitted to access Room 140 without prior approval in the form of an appointment with an authorized White House Staff Member,” the memo said.
Previously, credentialed White House journalists could access Room 140, which is a short hallway from the Oval Office, on short notice to speak with Leavitt, her deputy Steven Cheung and other senior officials.
“Some reporters have been caught secretly recording video and audio of our offices, along with pictures of sensitive info, without permission,” Cheung wrote in a post on X, adding that some reporters wandered into restricted areas, or eavesdropped on private, closed-door meetings.
“Cabinet Secretaries routinely come into our office for private meetings, only to be ambushed by reporters waiting outside our doors,” Cheung wrote.
Journalists can still access another area where lower-level White House spokespeople have desks, the council memo said.
The White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents journalists covering the White House, said the new restrictions would hinder reporters’ ability to question officials, ensure transparency and hold government accountable.
“The White House Correspondents’ Association unequivocally opposes any effort to limit journalists from areas within the communications operations of the White House that have long been open for newsgathering, including the press secretary’s office,” said Weijia Jiang, current president of the group.
The administration of former President Bill Clinton announced a similar step in 1993, but later rescinded the measures after a storm of criticism.
The Trump administration months ago removed Reuters, the Associated Press and Bloomberg News from the permanent “pool” of reporters covering the president, although it allows those outlets to participate on a sporadic basis.
Friday’s announcement comes weeks after the crackdown on press access by the Defense Department, which now requires news outlets to sign a new policy or lose access to press credentials and Pentagon workspaces.
At least 30 news organizations, including Reuters, declined to agree to the Pentagon restrictions, citing a threat to press freedoms and their ability to conduct independent newsgathering.
The Pentagon policy requires journalists to acknowledge new rules on press access, including that they could be branded security risks and have their Pentagon press badges revoked if they ask department employees to disclose classified and some types of unclassified information.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by David Gregorio and Diane Craft)
