White House to Politico: Retract stories or face "consequences"
The White House counsel's office warned Politico in a Monday letter that it had 48 hours to retract or correct recent stories about alleged staff drama, or it would suffer unspecified consequences. That deadline expires Thursday. Why it matters: The White House demand threatens to escalate already tense relations with Politico specifically and, more generally, the press corps that covers…
The White House counsel's office has threatened to take unspecified action against Politico if the news outlet does not retract or correct recent stories alleging staff drama. The deadline for the retraction or correction is Thursday. Politico has not yet complied with the White House's demands. The White House claims that the stories, which include allegations about White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, are false and have caused a "freakout" among the president.
The White House has also requested a public apology and the removal of the stories from Politico's digital archives. Politico has refused to make any corrections or retraction, citing Wiles as the "hook" for the stories, a decision that White House counsel found legally problematic. The White House has accused the new management at Politico of pushing its reporters to engage in "gossip-peddling" and has threatened all possible legal remedies.
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