The White House has demanded that Politico retract three articles about chief of staff Susie Wiles, warning the outlet it would face “consequences” if it refused, according to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
In a letter sent Monday to Politico’s global editor-in-chief Jonathan Greenberger, White House counsel William Scharf called the stories “demonstrably false and defamatory,” singling out reporting that President Donald Trump was considering removing Wiles from her post and that he had a “freakout” after Politico published its story.
“These publications reflect far more than sloppy reporting or an unfortunate, inadvertent reliance on unreliable sources. They instead reveal a disturbing pattern of the publication of sensational falsehoods despite direct, on-the-record refutations from senior White House officials and even the President of the United States himself, as well as documentary evidence provided to Politico, all of which established clearly that claims central to Politico’s planned reporting were false,” Scharf wrote.
Scharf gave Politico 48 hours to retract the stories and issue a public apology to both Trump and Wiles, or face a review of the outlet’s relationship with the White House and possible legal action.
“The White House has no obligation to pretend that this persistent conduct is consistent with responsible journalism. Nor should Politico expect that its institutional behavior will be insulated from scrutiny. After all, freedom of the press is not a professional exemption from accountability,” Scharf wrote.
Politico responded Wednesday through its attorney, rejecting what it called “false accusations” that it had published “fanciful fiction” or “purposeful falsehoods designed to mislead the public.” The outlet said it re-examined all three articles named in Scharf’s letter and conducted additional reporting, ultimately determining that only one warranted a correction.
That correction clarified that Wiles gave “positive reinforcement” for then-press secretary Katie Zacharia’s appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” before Zacharia stepped down, but did not directly arrange the booking. Politico did not retract or correct its reporting that Trump had considered moving on from Wiles, and it did not apologize to Trump or Wiles.
Politico’s attorney argued that any reporting error would not justify what the letter described as the White House’s retaliation against the outlet, which was among several news organizations barred from White House access last month before a judge’s ruling restored it.
“The White House’s efforts to retaliate against Politico for its constitutionally protected journalism, and to discriminate against Politico based on what the President perceives to be its editorial viewpoint is a profound affront to the most fundamental constitutional rights,” the response said, adding that Politico “will defend its journalism and the right of its reporters to pursue their mission and report fearlessly on the President and other White House officials.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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