Journalists covering White House activities will face new restrictions on their movements, following a regulation issued by the US National Security Council. According to the new memorandum, media representatives are prohibited from freely entering the offices of press secretary Caroline Leavitt and other senior communications officials in the West Wing, near the Oval Office, without prior appointment.
Specifically, the ban includes Room 140, which is located on a short corridor connecting the press room to the Oval Office. National Security Council officials said the move is intended to protect sensitive material that is routinely handled by White House communications staff.
The new restrictions follow a similar decision made earlier this month at the Department of Defense, where dozens of journalists were forced to vacate their offices at the Pentagon and surrender their accreditation credentials.
The deputy press secretary, in a statement to the media, said that several journalists have been caught secretly recording video and audio inside offices, as well as photographing sensitive documents or eavesdropping on private meetings.
Despite the restrictions, journalists are still allowed access to another area where the desks of the lowest-level White House spokespeople are located.
In response, the White House Correspondents' Association expressed concern that these measures would limit journalists' ability to communicate directly with officials, hindering transparency and oversight of government actions.
