White House reveals stories that got outlets banned — and JD Vance was one of the sources

In letters to CNN, MS NOW and Politico, the White House Press Office accused the outlets of “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security” and “publishing sensitive or classified information.”

The letters were issued on Tuesday — several days after Donald Trump announced he was “banning” the networks from the White House, which then revoked reporters’ passes. Each letter cited several offending stories, some of which were several months or more than a year old, that have “threatened national security and/or spread falsehoods.”

In its letter to Politico, the White House singled out six of its stories. But one of the examples was based on a press call from June that was hosted by the White House, The Washington Post reported.

According to Status, the “senior administration official” who was “granted anonymity” to speak on the Trump administration’s preliminary deal to end the Iran war was none other than Vice President JD Vance.

The White House and other federal agencies routinely host press calls for reporters to hear announcements and take questions from administration officials. As a condition for joining the calls, journalists are often asked to attribute that information only to a “senior administration official” or similarly phrased title.

Among the 12 stories cited by the White House, at least seven deal with reporting and commentary on the U.S. military, including depleting munitions during the Iran war, the Trump administration's responsibility for a missile strike on an Iranian girls’ school, and reduced troop presence in the Pacific and Europe.

“Publication of sensitive security information, and misinformation about national security information, diverts White House resources and those of the national security team in particular,” the letters say. “The spread of misinformation, especially relating to national security, is a threat that undermines the President’s ability to safeguard the national security.”

At least two stories deal with Trump’s plans for a ballroom and military complex at the site of the now-demolished East Wing of the White House — information that the president and administration officials have detailed in court filings.

Vice President JD Vance was reportedly a source for a Politico story based on a phone called with White House officials about the war in Iran, though the White House cited that story as a basis for revoking reporters’ press passes (Getty)

The letter to Politico claims its story detailing a May 2026 Senate briefing from Secret Service officials about the ballroom project “expressed a willingness to publish sensitive undisclosed information relating to the security of the White House and the physical security of the President,” according to the White House Press Office.

A letter to CNN cites a January 2026 story containing “top secret” construction details related to the East Wing bunker.

The project, however, has been extensively detailed in the government’s own court filings — and by the president on his Truth Social account — as the administration defends plans to turn the former East Wing into a massive, heavily fortified ballroom.

Among the oldest articles cited by the White House is a Politico story from April 2025 about the Trump administration’s alleged discussions on whether to lift sanctions on Russia. The story relied on five people familiar with the discussions.

The White House letter says “the Trump administration, however, has strengthened sanctions on Russia.”

The White House also took issue with a September story from Politico about the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, which the Trump administration claimed was portrayed by the outlet “as a disaster.”

“Media reporting showed that the convention had over 100 million live stream views,” the letter states.

Politico’s story, however, quotes a Republican lobbyist close to the White House who attended a Republican National Committee event that week. “The vibes are very bad,” the person said. “Dems are salivating. Our people are debating Israel. Or melting down about this or that. No one is motivated to vote.”

The White House claimed reporting on the president’s ballroom and military complex endangered national security, but many of those details were outlined by administration officials in publicly available court filings (Getty)

Only one of the four articles published by CNN and one of the three offending MS NOW articles were written by reporters with White House passes, according to officials at the network.

The outlets were given until 5 p.m. September 25 to “contest this initial decision or the factual basis” for their removal.

After media outlets sued to regain access to the White House, “all of a sudden this is a national security case,” their attorney Theodore Boutrous Jr. told U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly on Wednesday.

“A light bulb went off: ‘start talking about national security,’” he said. “The idea that reporters can be punished for reporting on national security issues … that the government would rather not be reported on is contrary to First Amendment principles.”

He called the administration’s shifting rationale a pretextual attempt to ban coverage the president doesn’t like.

At 1 a.m. Thursday, Judge Kelly rejected the government’s arguments that the president’s ban was motivated by national security concerns and ordered the Trump administration to restore White House access to the reporters.

The White House Press Office claimed in court filings that their press badges were reactivated and returned by 9:55 a.m. Thursday.

It wasn’t until after noon that all reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were allowed to enter White House grounds.

The Independent has requested comment from the White House.