{"id":2689628,"date":"2026-10-22T11:38:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T15:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-sets-deadline-for-politico-to-retract-defamatory-articles-or-face-consequences\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T11:38:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T15:38:00","slug":"white-house-sets-deadline-for-politico-to-retract-defamatory-articles-or-face-consequences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-sets-deadline-for-politico-to-retract-defamatory-articles-or-face-consequences\/","title":{"rendered":"White House Sets Deadline for Politico to Retract &#8216;Defamatory&#8217; Articles or Face &#8216;Consequences&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhite-house-sets-deadline-for-politico-to-retract-defamatory-articles-or-face-consequences%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2689628&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The White House counsel\u2019s office has threatened Politico with \u201cconsequences\u201d if the outlet does not retract three of its recent \u201cdefamatory\u201d reports about President Donald Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.<\/p>\n<p>Published on Oct. 15, the original Politico <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2026\/10\/15\/trumps-ice-maiden-is-under-fire-01119850\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> that set off this firestorm alleged that the president was growing frustrated with Wiles and asking his advisers whether he should replace her.<\/p>\n<p>A second <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2026\/10\/16\/el-sayeds-missing-piece-01123135\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> on Oct. 16 alleged that the president experienced a \u201cfreakout\u201d and \u201cblew up\u201d over Politico\u2019s original story.<\/p>\n<p>In the final <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/10\/16\/susie-wiles-helped-set-up-fox-interview-ahead-of-press-secretarys-exit-01125176\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a>, published later on Oct. 16, Politico suggested that Wiles had played a role in getting former White House Press Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-katie-zacharia-white-house-press-secretary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Katie Zacharia<\/a> fired by encouraging her to be interviewed by Fox News host Sean Hannity.<\/p>\n<p>All three reports were false, White House counsel William Scharf asserted in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/28827792-261019-scharf-ltr-to-greenberger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">letter<\/a> sent on Monday, Oct. 19, to Politico\u2019s global editor-in-chief, Jonathan Greenberger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolitico\u2019s conduct raises serious questions about its adherence to the most basic standards of ethics, journalistic integrity, and the standards of professionalism expected of serious news publications,\u201d Scharf wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not a question of competing interpretations, editorial judgment, or political disagreement. It is a question of whether a major news organization may knowingly publish demonstrably false factual allegations, disregard documentary evidence contradicting those allegations, and then hide behind anonymous sources when confronted with the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt may not,\u201d Scharf added. \u201cI therefore demand that Politico retract these defamatory articles and issue corrections promptly, or face the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He continued his lengthy letter by also demanding an apology. The first Trump administration also routinely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-campaign-unloads-cnn-completely-unprofessional-interview-legal-adviser-demands-apology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">demanded apologies<\/a> from the media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFreedom of the press is not a professional exemption from accountability,\u201d Scharf wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI 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,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Scharf concluded by giving Politico 48 hours to respond or face \u201can immediate review\u201d of its relationship with the White House.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/white-house-threatens-politico-consequences-doesnt-retract-susie-wiles-reporting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>, Politico responded to the White House on Wednesday with a letter written by its attorney, arguing that the paper \u201ccategorically rejects the false accusations\u201d that it \u201cchose to publish fanciful fiction\u201d and \u201cpurposeful falsehoods designed to mislead the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat said, Politico takes seriously assertions like those made in your letter,\u201d the letter continued. \u201cAccordingly, consistent with its commitment to ensuring its reporting is as accurate as possible, Politico re-examined all three articles identified in your letter and did follow up reporting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a result, Politico determined it was appropriate to correct one of the three articles identified in your letter,\u201d the letter concluded.<\/p>\n<p>Fox News confirmed that Politico did not correct its first two reports or \u201coffer an apology to Trump and Wiles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Instead, it updated the final report about Zacharia to say that Wiles had simply offered the former press secretary \u201cpositive reinforcement\u201d ahead of her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-tough-hannity-interview-led-katie-zacharias-departure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">devastating Fox News interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">OUCH<\/p>\n<p>@politico forced to walk back false story about Susie Wiles after @WhiteHouse brings the receipts<\/p>\n<p>Embarrassig<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/seanspicer\/status\/2113234407977107618?\">October 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe updated version of that article, reflecting the information obtained through Politico\u2019s further reporting, has now been published,\u201d Politico\u2019s attorney wrote in his letter to the White House.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPromptly and transparently making corrections, as Politico has done here, is a hallmark of journalistic ethics and integrity, and of the very professionalism your letter falsely claims Politico is lacking,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n<p>After the controversy erupted, former Trump White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-karoline-leavitt-wh-press-secretary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced her departure<\/a> to spend more time with her young children, slammed Politico in a social media post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolitico is the worst outlet in Washington,\u201d she <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/politico\/status\/2113114873198780588\/quotes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote<\/a> on the social media site X. \u201cThey constantly peddle false gossip and malicious lies from clueless anonymous sources to demean the Trump Administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMuch of my time as Press Secretary was spent disproving and killing fake stories they were adamant about writing,\u201d she added. \u201cThey may have issued a correction on this one, but the damage has already been done. 100% Fake News.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; 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Published on Oct. 15, the original Politico report that set off this firestorm alleged that the president was growing frustrated with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2689629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-10-22T103949.620.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2689628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-10-22T103949.620.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2689628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2689628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2689628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2689629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2689628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2689628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2689628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}