The White House told Politico in a letter Tuesday that it had taken the unusual step of revoking its press passes last week because the news organization had violated professional standards, including by using anonymous sources and “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security … and publishing sensitive or classified information.”
But among the examples the White House cited was an article based on a press call the White House hosted, according to an invitation reviewed by The Washington Post. In the call, reporters were instructed to cite an anonymous “senior administration official” in relaying the news to the public, according to a recording reviewed by The Post.
The letter citing the report was one of three submitted by the government in court Tuesday in defense of its ban of Politico, along with CNN and MS NOW, from the White House grounds.
One of Politico’s six alleged offenses, according to the White House letter, is a June 2026 article that begins by quoting a “senior administration official” who details a push to end the war in Iran.
“In June 2026, Politico cited a ‘senior administration official … granted anonymity’ said the odds of a preliminary deal to end the conflict with Iran were between 80 and 85 percent,” the White House letter reads, alongside a message that unauthorized leaks can harm national security.
“Publication of sensitive security information, and misinformation about national security information, diverts White House resources and those of the national security team in particular,” the letter said. “The spread of misinformation, especially relating to national security, is a threat that undermines the President’s ability to safeguard the national security.”
The source in Politico’s story was not speaking against the White House’s wishes, but spoke in an authorized call during which reporters were instructed to attribute information to a “senior administration official.”
The White House did not provide comment. Politico did not respond to a request for comment.
A White House aide began the June call by setting the terms of the briefing:
“Good afternoon, and thank you for joining this press call,” the aide said, according to the recording. “The contents of this call are on background, attributable to a senior administration official. By remaining on the line, you agree to those terms. There is no embargo for the contents of the call.”
Then, a senior administration official identified themselves and spoke of the possibility of a deal to end the war.
“I think the second thing is we do expect to be signing this agreement over the next few days,” the senior administration official said. “I can’t give you an exact date. And if I were to give you a confidence that we were going to be finding this agreement, I maybe would have said 75 percent this morning. It’s probably more like 80, 85 percent now, but it’s not 100 percent.” (The U.S. and Iran said days later that they reached an agreement.)
Around the six-minute mark, the press aide reminded participants of the terms of the briefing: “Just for new entrants to the call, I’d like to remind everyone these comments are on background attributable to a senior administration official.”
It’s commonplace for the White House to offer briefings about ongoing hot-button issues and, because of the sensitivity of the situation, shroud the speakers in anonymity. The Associated Press, Bloomberg and CNBC were among several outlets who reported on the call, citing a senior administration official, but were not banned from the White House.
The White House has given Politico until Friday at 5 p.m. to contest the contents of the letter.
The post The White House cited anonymous quotes in Politico ban. It was the source. appeared first on Washington Post.
