White House restricts press office access citing sensitive material

According to President Donald Trump’s administration, reporters are unable to access a portion of the White House press office without getting an appointment because “sensitive material” needs to be protected.

The National Security Council (NSC) stated in a memorandum sent to White House Communications Director Steven Cheung and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that journalists were “no longer permitted” to visit a Leavitt’s office “without prior approval in the form of an appointment.”

The NSC’s structural changes, according to the National Security Council, resulted in the change, which the organization attributed to as “routinely engaging with sensitive material” by White House communications officials.

Members of the press are no longer permitted to access Room 140 without prior approval, according to the memo, in order to protect such material and maintain coordination between the White House Communications Staff and the National Security Council.

Following restrictions placed earlier this month on reporters at the Pentagon, Department of Defense, and a&nbsp, which caused dozens of journalists to leave their offices and return their&nbsp credentials.

Prior to now, authorized White House reporters could speak with Leavitt, her deputy Cheung, and other senior officials in Room 140, a short hallway from the Oval Office known as “Upper Press.”

For a response, the White House Correspondents Association, a group of journalists covering the White House, could not be reached for comment right away.

Reuters, The Associated Press, and Bloomberg News were all suspended by the Trump administration’s permanent “pool” of reporters covering the president a few months ago, but it still allows those outlets to participate occasionally.

The Defense Department’s crackdown on press access, which now requires news outlets to sign a new policy or lose access to Pentagon offices, comes weeks after the release of Friday’s announcement.

According to at least 30 news organizations, the Pentagon’s restrictions on press freedoms and their ability to conduct independent newsgathering led them to decline.