Online Reporter
WASHINGTON. – White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that the Trump administration has revoked The Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) press pool credential for covering the president’s upcoming trip to Scotland.
This decision came a few days after the Journal reported that Trump had written a letter to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
According to a statement obtained by Politico, Leavitt cited the Journal’s “fake and defamatory conduct” as the reason for excluding the publication from the pool of 13 media outlets authorised for the presidential travel delegation this weekend.
“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,” the press secretary said.
The WSJ recently reported that among the handwritten letters Epstein received for his 50th birthday in 2003 was one bearing Donald Trump’s signature. Trump dismissed the report as fake news, reiterating his denial of any ties to Epstein, and has filed lawsuits against media mogul Rupert Murdoch, News Corp, Dow Jones and two WSJ journalists.
Epstein, who had extensive connections with U.S. political and business elites, was arrested on sex crime charges and died in prison in August 2019 — a death officially ruled a suicide.
The Trump administration’s shifting stance on the matter has drawn widespread criticism, with some angry supporters even calling for Attorney General Pam Bondi’s resignation, demanding more transparency from the government. – Xinhua
