Politico acknowledged inaccurately reporting White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ involvement in a Fox News interview with former press secretary Katie Zacharia, but rejected broader White House demands to retract additional stories and apologize.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Politico has corrected an article linking White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to the arrangement of a Fox News interview with former press secretary Katie Zacharia after the Trump administration threatened legal action and other consequences over what it described as false reporting about internal White House affairs.
The correction, issued Wednesday, Oct. 21, acknowledged that Wiles had not directly arranged Zacharia’s appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News program, contradicting the original characterization published Oct. 16.
According to Just the News, Politico revised its reporting after White House counsel William Scharf demanded corrections or retractions of three articles involving Wiles and alleged disagreements within President Donald Trump’s administration.
The correction states that the original article, including its headline, had inaccurately characterized Wiles’ role in the television appearance. Politico said additional reporting established that she had not directly participated in arranging the interview.
The original story suggested Wiles helped coordinate the appearance shortly before Zacharia left her position as White House press secretary after five days on the job.
The article had also included a source’s characterization of the interview as a “sanctioned hit,” implying that the appearance was arranged to undermine Zacharia.
Fox News disputed the account, maintaining that Hannity determines whom he interviews rather than allowing White House officials to arrange guests on his behalf.
Text messages subsequently reported by Breitbart News indicated that Zacharia herself had sought television appearances, including the interview with Hannity.
Politico’s revised reporting said Wiles had offered encouragement for Zacharia’s appearance but did not directly coordinate the booking.
The correction followed a formal letter sent Monday, Oct. 19, by Scharf to Politico Global Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger.
The White House counsel accused the publication of circulating three articles containing inaccurate allegations about Wiles and internal administration matters.
According to Axios, the letter gave Politico 48 hours to retract or correct the disputed reporting and warned that the publication could face consequences if it refused.
Scharf described the articles as “demonstrably false and defamatory,” accusing the outlet of promoting a misleading narrative about instability inside the White House.
“Your publication was told the truth and presented with corroborating evidence, and yet chose to publish fanciful fictions regardless,” Scharf wrote.
The White House also demanded a public apology to Trump and Wiles.
The disputed coverage included an Oct. 15 Politico Playbook article suggesting Trump was considering replacing Wiles as chief of staff.
A second article published Oct. 16 described turmoil inside the administration following that report, including allegations that Trump reacted angrily to the coverage.
The third concerned Wiles’ purported involvement in arranging Zacharia’s Fox News interview.
Trump and other administration officials denied the reports concerning Wiles’ job security and the president’s alleged reaction.
Scharf warned that failure to comply could result in a review of Politico’s relationship with the White House and consideration of available legal remedies.
“Freedom of the press is not a professional exemption from accountability,” he wrote.
Politico responded through outside counsel Theodore Boutrous Jr., rejecting the administration’s broader accusations while acknowledging that further reporting warranted a correction to the Zacharia article.
As TheWrap reported, Boutrous said the publication reexamined all three articles and concluded that only one required correction.
“Politico categorically rejects the false accusations in your letter that it ‘chose to publish fanciful fiction’ and ‘purposeful falsehoods designed to mislead the public,’” Boutrous wrote.
The attorney defended the publication’s decision to correct its reporting, arguing that acknowledging errors is an established responsibility of professional journalism.
“Promptly and transparently making corrections, as Politico has done here, is a hallmark of journalistic ethics and integrity,” he wrote.
However, Politico declined to retract its other two articles or issue the apology requested by the White House.
The dispute also intersects with an ongoing legal battle over the administration’s treatment of certain news organizations.
Politico, CNN and MS NOW previously challenged restrictions on their access to White House facilities.
A federal judge recently granted preliminary relief requiring the administration to restore their access, finding that the outlets were likely to succeed on constitutional claims involving press freedom and due process.
The administration has appealed that ruling.
Politico’s attorneys cited the dispute in their response, accusing the White House of seeking to punish the publication for its coverage.
“Any error that you could identify in Politico’s reporting about the President or his administration would not excuse the White House’s unconstitutional retaliation and discrimination against Politico for the content of its news coverage,” Boutrous wrote.
The White House maintains that news organizations should be held accountable for publishing demonstrably inaccurate information, while Politico argues that the administration’s threats raise constitutional concerns.
The New York Post reported that Politico’s correction followed the White House’s presentation of information challenging the original account of the Fox News interview.
The correction establishes that the publication’s initial description of Wiles’ direct involvement was inaccurate. It does not resolve the separate disputes over Politico’s reporting about her standing in the administration.
As of Friday, Oct. 23, Politico had corrected the Zacharia interview article but maintained its other reporting and rejected the administration’s demand for a public apology.
The confrontation remains unresolved, with the White House considering its response and Politico maintaining that it will continue reporting on the administration despite the threatened consequences.
Original article
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