White House counsel demands that Politico retract three stories about Susie Wiles
The White HouseWhite House Counsel Will Scharf, in a letter to Politico quoted by Axios
White House Counsel Will Scharf demands that Politico correct or retract three stories about Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, apologize and remove them from its archives.
“freedom of the press is not a professional exemption from accountability. I therefore demand that Politico immediately correct or retract these publications, issue a prominent and public apology to the President of the United States and to Ms. Wiles, and remove the false reporting from your digital archives.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should President Trump bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage?
On Friday, September 18, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that, "effective immediately, I am banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico "from the White House as a result of their constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS!" About an hour later, in the Oval Office, he said no particular story prompted the decision, that he does not want the outlets "in my office," and that "somebody has a right to keep them away" if outlets write false stories. The three outlets and press-freedom groups oppose the exclusion, citing constitutional protection for the press, and the White House Correspondents' Association said it "stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO." On Saturday, September 19, MS NOW, CNN and Politico said their White House reporters were refused entry and had press passes confiscated; the White House referred questions to Trump's earlier remarks. The dispute is over whether President Trump should exclude named news organizations from White House access over what they report.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Axios's report, republished by Yahoo, describes and quotes White House Counsel Will Scharf's letter to Politico. Politico did not return Axios's request for comment.
Before the quotation
The letter, addressed to Politico global editor in chief Jonathan Greenberger, names three stories from October 15 and 16 about Wiles that senior staff and the president had disputed on the record.
After the quotation
Scharf writes that otherwise the White House will conduct an immediate review of Politico's relationship with it and consider other legal remedies. Axios reports that Politico did not return a request for comment.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the White House's exclusion of CNN, MS NOW and Politico over their coverage, the letter threatens a review of Politico's relationship with the White House unless it retracts coverage the White House disputes.
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The Dispute Index. "White House counsel demands that Politico retract three stories about Susie Wiles". First published: 2026-10-23. Last updated: 2026-10-23. https://disputeindex.com/events/6575-white-house-counsel-will-scharf-demands-that-politico