We mentioned this in July, but it’s now in full effect. The Biden White House tweaked its press credential policy, which has removed some outlets from the briefing room. The Daily Signal is one of them.
The right-leaning publication now alleges this was done to purge unfriendly media figures from the room. Fox News will always be a mainstay. Their removal would be too obvious. The July 31 deadline has come and gone, and scores of reporters have lost their credentials in this media purge.
📢 Two weeks from now, @DailySignal chief news correspondent @FredLucasWH will lose his @WhiteHouse press credentials. 🚫🗞️
— Rob Bluey (@RobertBluey) July 18, 2023
It’s the latest—and perhaps most brazen—attempt by @JoeBiden to limit media access to what he calls “the People’s House.” 🧵 https://t.co/CIShh6TIC6
So, what are these new regulations that have culled the briefing room, which led to over 440 reporters losing their credentials (via Fox News):
The White House press office announced their updated standards in an email sent to all White House "Hard Pass Holders" in May with the guidelines for journalists to successfully renew their hard passes.
Reporters must show they have "Full-time employment with an organization whose principal business is news dissemination," have a "Physical address" in the "Washington, D.C. area," and demonstrate they have "accessed the White House campus at least once during the prior six months for work, or have proof of employment within the last three months to cover the White House."
Additionally, hard pass seekers need to show they have an "Assignment to cover (or provide technical support in covering) the White House on a regular basis," and have "Accreditation by a press gallery in either the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, or Supreme Court."
Lastly, applicants must be willing to "submit to any necessary investigation by the U.S. Secret Service to determine eligibility for access to the White House complex."
The notice also said passes will be revoked under the new rules if a journalist doesn’t act "in a professional manner," with written warnings for violators followed by suspensions and bans for repeat offenders.
That last part is laughable. Jim Acosta and Brian Karem were some of the biggest loudmouths during the Trump administration. Both men were stripped of their passes temporarily before legal action forced the Trump White House to restore them. Will there be legal action concerning these dubious new qualifications to report on the White House?
Again, it’s just the gall of it all. If Trump had tried to pull something like this to curb the size of the reporting pool, there would have been thought pieces and uncontrollable insanity from the Left on how democracy was dying in darkness. There’s precedent now if this stands, and Trump should take advantage of it should he win again in 2024.
