Scharf's letter, sent on Monday, 19 October, gives Politico 48 hours, with the deadline falling on Thursday, 22 October, to retract or correct three stories about Susie Wiles.
On Wednesday, 21 October, CNN threatened legal action to regain access to Air Force One and the press pool, after a judge restored access on 13 October.
Wired reports aides are eyeing deputy chief of staff James Blair, as Florida's 25th district now leans Democrat and the Congressional Leadership Fund has pulled money from it.
Kalshi bettors put Anna Kelly at 15 percent, Scott Jennings at 13 percent and Elizabeth Pipko at 6 percent as of 21 October.
In a letter sent on Monday, 19 October, White House Counsel Will Scharf gave Politico 48 hours to retract or correct recent stories about alleged staff drama, or face unspecified consequences. That deadline falls on Thursday, 22 October. Scharf singled out three articles about Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, saying Politico had kept them up despite on-the-record denials and contrary evidence from senior staff and the president.
“Freedom of the press is not a professional exemption from accountability.”
Scharf demanded that Politico immediately correct or retract the pieces and issue a public apology to the president. He also wrote that a Politico reporter had confirmed the outlet declined to drop Wiles from one story because she was its "hook", which he called legally fraught.
On 15 October Politico Playbook reported that Trump was considering a replacement for Wiles, under the headline "Trump's ice maiden is under fire". Trump called the report "fake news". The next day the outlet wrote that the earlier story had caused a "freakout" in the White House and that the president had reacted angrily. A White House spokesman called that account "unbelievably stupid and false".
On 16 October Politico also published a story suggesting Wiles had set up a Sean Hannity interview on Fox the night before press secretary Katie Zacharia's exit, which would have set her up to fail. The White House and Fox News denied the reporting. Text messages given to Politico before publication showed that Zacharia, not Wiles, arranged the interview, a detail the New York Post reported on 17 October.
Politico, CNN and MS NOW are already barred from covering Trump in the Oval Office and on Air Force One, because the president dislikes their coverage. Trump also blocked all three from White House grounds, but a judge restored their access on 13 October. On Wednesday, 21 October, CNN threatened legal action to regain access to Air Force One and the pool of television networks that accompanies the president.
Wired reports that Trump aides have started looking for a scapegoat for possible midterm losses, with deputy chief of staff James Blair, who ran the 2024 turnout strategy, in focus. Republican operatives privately blame Trump for starting the Iran war in an election year, which they link to higher prices. Blair's redistricting plan was expected to bring roughly 10 to 15 House pickups for Republicans. Virginia's top court blocked Democrats from redrawing their maps, and some redrawn seats now favour Democrats. Florida's 25th district is rated "Lean Democrat" and the Congressional Leadership Fund has pulled money from the race. In Texas' 15th district, Monica De La Cruz's race is rated a "tossup" by the Cook Political Report. Blair's allies say the criticism is unfair because he could not have foreseen the effects of the Iran war.
Zacharia lasted five days in the job, and a Guardian Australia podcast episode describes it as the shortest tenure on record for a White House press secretary. Kalshi bettors put Anna Kelly, the current White House deputy press secretary, as the frontrunner at 15 percent as of 21 October. Scott Jennings, CNN's MAGA pundit, stands at 13 percent, despite reported backing from Wiles before Zacharia was appointed. Elizabeth Pipko, a former model who worked on Trump's 2016 campaign, is at 6 percent, and Karoline Leavitt, who left the role in August, has 2 percent.
Data from the article text
Pipko has often spoken in support of Trump. Writing on Instagram, she said:
“I can only hope that those who may not have supported President Trump, still find a way to be inspired by his determination and resilience.”
The Guardian podcast also examines how women in the administration are treated when they are perceived to have made mistakes, compared with how men tend to recover from missteps.
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White House Counsel Will Scharf says Politico must correct or retract three stories about chief of staff Susie Wiles by Thursday, 22 October. The outlet, along with CNN and MS NOW, is already barred from covering the president in the Oval Office and on Air Force One.
AI text based on reports by Axios, Wired, New Statesman and other publishers. Published .