“Due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board,” Karoline Leavitt said.
The Wall Street Journal will no longer be a part of the White House’s press pool covering President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to Scotland, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed to Politico on Monday.
This comes as Trump has filed a suit against the outlet and others over their reporting on a letter allegedly written by Trump that was sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
Leavitt said in a statement, "As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces."
"Due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board. Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible."
A report from the Wall Street Journal claimed that Trump wrote the birthday card for Epstein in 2003, which bore typewritten text and a marker sketch of a naked woman that had a signature written below the waist, resembling pubic hair. The letter ended with the line, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret."
Trump has denied writing the letter. "This is not me. This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story. I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words."
The suit has been filed in the Southern District of Florida against two Wall Street Journal reporters, the Dow Jones, Rupert Murdoch, and News Corp, and the case has been assigned to Obama-appointed judge Darrin P Gayles.
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