THE White House The Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) on Thursday tore up a letter from White House Counsel’s Office spokesperson Ian Sams for complaining that member organizations were “misreporting” the Hur report .
The White House has recently attempted to discredit allegations in special counsel Robert Hur’s report, which raise new questions. on President Biden’s mental acuity. Sams praised the report clearing Biden of any wrongdoing related to his handling of classified documents, but sharply criticized Hur’s description of the president as a “friendly, well-meaning older man with a poor memory.”
Sams sharply criticized the WHCA on Tuesday, in a letter to association president Kelly O’Donnell and association members, saying the media had “striking inaccuracies have been reported” this gave a misleading representation of Hur’s conclusions. He accused the journalists themselves in the White House briefing room of asking questions with “false content or based on false premises.”
“When significant errors occur in media coverage, such as a misinterpretation of the results and conclusions of a federal investigation into the sitting president, it is essential to address them,” he wrote.
February 9, Office of White House Counsel spokesperson Ian Sams, right, with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing in the State Room Brady briefing from the White House in Washington, DC. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP)
In the letter he shared on X, he also listed examples of headlines and articles that he said “falsely asserted that the report found that the president had deliberately withheld and disclosed classified documents.
O’Donnell responded with his own letter, calling Sams’ letter “poorly addressed” and writing: “It is inappropriate for the White House to use internal distribution channels, primarily for logistics and rapid information sharing required. , to air widespread criticism of media coverage. We will not broadcast them in the future.
White House Counsel’s Office spokesperson Ian Sams speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, February 9. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
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“As a nonprofit organization that champions its members’ efforts to cover the presidency, WHCA does not, cannot, and will not serve as a repository of government views on current events,” O wrote ‘Donnell. “The White House has considerable reach to make its positions known on the Hur report or any other issue.”
O’Donnell, NBC News’ senior White House correspondent, also said the White House was able to contact individuals. journalists or media directly if they have problems with their reporting and that “In its 110-year history, our association has never controlled or policed the journalism published or broadcast by our members or their employers. »
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O’Donnell wrote: “The WHCA welcomes – and its members surely seek – further opportunities to ask questions of the President, the White House Counsel or the President’s personal lawyer on that question.
Sams became upset last week when a reporter challenged his credentials and asked the White House counsel to take over because he allegedly gave factually incorrect information. Sam asked, “Should I be offended by this?” He stammered in surprise: “What? I mean, come on.
Chris Pandolfo of Fox News contributed to this report.
