Cheung, who regularly expresses hostility toward reporters on social media platform X, asserted in a Friday night post that, “some reporters have been caught” taking pictures of sensitive information and “eavesdropping on private, closed-door meetings.”
That claim came as news to White House press corps leaders, who are not aware of colleagues being “caught.”
Early in Bill Clinton’s presidency, Clinton aides similarly attempted to bar journalists from the “upper press” area, causing an outcry. That ban was rescinded.
Journalists had normal access to the offices during President Trump’s first term in office. But in his second term, Trump and his aides have taken several steps to stymie news coverage and circumvent traditional media outlets.
Last winter, the administration blocked the Associated Press from attending some White House events, leading to a First Amendment lawsuit that is still working its way through the courts.
The administration has also stopped publishing transcripts of Trump’s remarks; has taken control of daily press pool assignments; and has invited fawning pro-Trump commentators to presidential Q&As.
Some cabinet secretaries have followed Trump’s lead. Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth implemented severe new restrictions for Pentagon press pass credentialing, leading virtually every major media outlet to reject the rules and give up access to the Pentagon complex.
CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg contributed to this report.
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