
Trump White House Pulls Wall Street Journal Reporter From Upcoming Press Travel Pool Because Of Jeffrey Epstein Story
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Trump White House Pulls Wall Street Journal Reporter From Upcoming Press Travel Pool Because Of Jeffrey Epstein Story
A reporter from the Wall Street Journal was removed from the press pool for Donald Trump’s trip to Scotland this weekend. The White House said the reporter was removed because of the publication‘s connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against the Journal, the reporters on the story Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo, as well as Dow Jones, News Corp., its CEO Robert Thomson and Rupert Murdoch. The president is seeking no less than $10 billion in damages. The Journal reported on a bawdy letter that was included in an album given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. Trump denied writing the letter, and threatened to sue the Journal after they contacted him about the story.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, “As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces.”
She added, “Thirteen diverse outlets will participate in the press pool to cover the President’s trip to Scotland. Due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board. Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible.”
A spokesperson for Dow Jones, publisher of the Journal, declined comment.
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According to Politico, which was the first to report on the pooler’s removal, the Journal‘s Tarini Parti was scheduled to serve as the print pooler for the final two days of Trump’s trip to Scotland, where he will visit his golf courses. Parti was not bylined on the Epstein story.
The Journal reported on a bawdy letter in Trump’s name that was included in an album given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003.
Trump denied writing the letter, and threatened to sue the Journal after they contacted him about the story. On Friday, Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against the Journal, the reporters on the story Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo, as well as Dow Jones, News Corp., its CEO Robert Thomson and Rupert Murdoch. The president is seeking no less than $10 billion in damages.
A Dow Jones spokesperson said in response to the lawsuit, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
Weijia Jiang, president of the WHCA, said in a statement, “This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling, and it defies the First Amendment. Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media. We strongly urge the White House to restore the Wall Street Journal to its previous position in the pool and aboard Air Force One for the President’s upcoming trip to Scotland. The WHCA stands ready to work with the administration to find a quick resolution.”
In February, the White House took control of pool press rotations, after years in which it had been set by the White House Correspondents’ Association, the nonprofit group of White House journalists.
The Trump administration action followed its decision earlier in the month to ban the Associated Press White House reporters and photographers from the pool, including events in the Oval Office and travel on Air Force One.
The AP sued, and although a federal district judge ruled in their favor, an appellate court largely sided with the Trump administration. The two appellate judges, Neomi Rao and Gregory Katsas, wrote that the White House “retains discretion to determine, including on the basis of viewpoint, which journalists will be admitted.”
Source: https://deadline.com/2025/07/trump-wall-street-journal-jeffrey-epstein-1236463863/