Trump Administration Places Restrictions On Reporter Access To West Wing’s “Upper Press” Area

The White House has restricted reporters from accessing an area of the West Wing known as “Upper Press” without an appointment.

The area houses the offices of the press secretary and communications staff and reporters have been allowed into the area, which is near the Oval Office. Typically, network correspondents will wait in the area to speak to the press secretary.

A memo from the National Security Council, released on Friday, read, “As a result of recent structural changes to the National Security Council, the White House is now responsible for directing all communications, including on all national security matters. In this capacity, members of the White House Communications Staff are routinely engaging with sensitive material.”

The members of the press may still “continue to freely engage with White House Press Aides in the Lower Press Area outside of the Briefing Room,” the memo stated.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon implemented more restrictive policies that most major news organizations, including the broadcast and cable networks, refused to sign. News organizations said that the policy was written in a way in which they were being asked to agree to seek out only information authorized by Pentagon officials. The new policy led to an exodus of reporters from the Pentagon as they turned in their credentials.

The new White House restrictions are the latest that the administration has put in place. In February, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that they would determine members of the White House press pool, a function that for decades had been handled by the White House Correspondents’ Association.