The White House has been selectively releasing files from the investigation into President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents. According to a new report from The New York Times, it strips out key context to turn old news and routine investigative steps into a “weaponization” scandal ahead of the midterms.
The Times’ Charlie Savage reported that the centerpiece of the latest release was phone logs from White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, which became fodder for false claims that her phone had been “tapped.”
At an Oct. 2 briefing, the White House previewed files from special counsel Jack Smith’s inquiry. They showed that in 2023, investigators logged Wiles’ calls with a pen register, which records who called whom and when but not what was said. Wiles ran Trump’s political action committee and later his 2024 campaign.
That scrutiny wasn’t new. Court filings in 2024 showed her phone records had been subpoenaed. FBI Director Kash Patel also told Reuters in February that the bureau had obtained them. The only new detail was that investigators had logged her calls in real time. “By omitting that context, right-wing news accounts created the sensational impression that the scrutiny of her call activity itself was a revelation,” Savage wrote.
The White House also didn’t release anything explaining why investigators were interested in Wiles. Two reasons are known. According to the indictment, Trump showed her a classified map. Wiles also oversaw the PAC’s hiring and payment of lawyers for Trump employees who were witnesses. Investigators suspected that arrangement could have been used to shape their testimony, though no one was charged. In one case, the indictment says the PAC agreed to pay for a Mar-a-Lago property manager’s defense after a Signal chat with Wiles confirmed the worker remained “loyal.”
FBI reports flagged Wiles’ “contacts of interest,” including about 20 lawyers and six journalists. John Solomon, the pro-Trump writer who led the briefing, claimed investigators “tracked Trump defense lawyers’ calls.” The Times called that framing misleading, since investigators logged Wiles’ calls, not the lawyers’.
Solomon was one of the six reporters, and his name was left unredacted. He questioned why reporters’ contacts would interest investigators. Savage pointed to the missing context: Trump and his allies had repeatedly accused Smith’s team of leaking grand jury subpoenas and sealed rulings to the press, and accused them of misconduct.
From there, the narrative spread fast. Solomon pitched it on Steve Bannon’s and Benny Johnson’s podcasts. Other outlets claimed the FBI had “tracked” Melania and Barron Trump, when officials had checked the family’s travel plans so any search could happen while they were away. On Newsmax, Alan Dershowitz called it “terrible.”
The New York Post even reported that the FBI “even tapped Susie Wiles phone.” The Times called that claim “unambiguously false.”
Stephen Miller shared the Post headline and called it “a seditious conspiracy against the Republic.” Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) called it “1000 times worse than Watergate.” Trump’s account posted a story claiming “Jack Smith Spied on Trump Staffer’s Communications and 20+ Lawyers.”
Solomon told the Times, “It isn’t an effort at subterfuge.”
On Friday, the White House invited reporters to another “weaponization” briefing.
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