WSJ penalized over article on Trump's letter to Epstein - CNN

According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the change was made "due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct," referring to the outlet’s recent article about Donald Trump’s alleged connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces," Leavitt said Monday.

She added that 13 media outlets will be included in the upcoming press pool for the Scotland trip, but the Wall Street Journal will not be among them.

CNN noted that the Journal reporter scheduled to join the press pool had no connection to the Epstein article and was assigned to cover the president’s visit to golf courses in Scotland. The decision is being interpreted as a retaliatory move by the White House against Rupert Murdoch’s publication.

Control over the press pool

The presidential press pool is a small group of journalists who travel with the president and provide coverage on behalf of the broader media. Rotation is essential, as many events, such as Oval Office photo ops or briefings aboard Air Force One, are accessible only to pool reporters.

CNN reported that until earlier this year, the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) managed press pool access. But in February, Leavitt removed WHCA from that role, giving the Trump administration direct control over who gets in, thus creating a new tool of political influence.

AP precedent

This move follows an earlier dispute between Trump and the Associated Press (AP) over its continued use of the term "Gulf of Mexico" after Trump ordered the US government to adopt "American Gulf" as the official name. The conflict led to a months-long legal battle over media access.

Reactions and constitutional concerns

A spokesperson for The Wall Street Journal declined to comment on what CNN described as an act of retaliation but said the paper stands by the accuracy and rigor of its reporting and "will vigorously defend against any lawsuit."

WHCA President Weijia Jiang called the exclusion "deeply troubling" and a violation of the First Amendment, noting it appeared to be a punishment for the outlet’s editorial stance.

"We strongly urge the White House to restore the Wall Street Journal to its previous position in the pool and aboard Air Force One for the President’s upcoming trip to Scotland," Jiang said, adding that WHCA is open to resolving the issue cooperatively.

Free speech advocacy groups also condemned the move. "It’s unconstitutional, not to mention thin-skinned and vindictive, for a president to rescind access to punish a news outlet for publishing a story he tried to kill," said Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

He added that Wall Street Journal journalists might be relieved to skip the golf tour and use the time to investigate more pressing matters - such as Trump’s ties to Epstein and his unprecedented efforts to suppress the media.

Article in question

In 2006, Epstein was first charged with sex crimes involving underage girls. He died in prison in 2019 while facing new charges of trafficking and exploitation.

On July 17, The Wall Street Journal published a feature on a series of letters gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, one of which included a note allegedly signed by Trump with a sketch of a nude woman.

The following day, Trump filed a defamation lawsuit, claiming "no authentic letter or drawing exists."

Vice President J.D. Vance dismissed the article as "complete nonsense."