US Vice President Vance named Politico source in White House dispute — Jerusalem Post

In the United States, the media newsletter Status named Vice President J.D. Vance as the unnamed senior Donald Trump administration official whose words Politico cited in an article about the likelihood of a preliminary agreement with Iran. The White House later used that publication as one of the examples for revoking the outlet’s press pass and access to the White House.

As The Jerusalem Post reports, Status said that Vance was the official whose comment Politico published in June. In it, an unnamed “senior administration official” assessed the chances of reaching a preliminary agreement with Iran at 80–85%.

Briefing authorized by the White House

According to Status, Vance spoke during a briefing for journalists authorized by the White House. Participants were told that the conversation was on background: the official could be cited as a “senior administration official,” but without naming him. Status did not participate in the call and said it was therefore not obligated to comply with the anonymity terms.

The Washington Post, which reviewed the invitation to the briefing and a recording of the conversation, separately established that the comments were not an unauthorized information leak. At the same time, the newspaper did not independently confirm that Vance was the official and, after Status’s publication, identified him citing the media newsletter. The White House did not comment on the identification of the vice president.

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Media lawsuit against the administration

The Trump administration cited Politico’s June article in a letter to a federal court, defending its decision to revoke the outlet’s access to the White House. The letter accused Politico of failing to meet professional standards, using anonymous sources, spreading allegedly false information concerning national security, and publishing sensitive or classified data.

On September 18, Trump announced a ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, accusing the media outlets of spreading what he called “fake news.” Journalists from these organizations were denied entry to the White House grounds, and their passes were deactivated. The companies filed a federal lawsuit, alleging violations of the First Amendment to the US Constitution and a lack of due process.

On Thursday, US District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the immediate restoration of the three media outlets’ press passes and blocked the restrictions for 14 days. The judge noted that the case materials did not support the administration’s argument that national security would be threatened if the journalists returned to the White House.