Vance Unmasked as Source in Story Trump Used to Ban Politico
Vice President JD Vance was the anonymous official behind a June Iran report the White House cited as justification for revoking Politico's press credentials.
What to know
- Vance's Iran comments were made on an official, White House-authorized background briefing where journalists agreed to anonymity terms—not an unauthorized leak as the administration's ban implies.
- The Trump administration cited this very story as a security threat justifying the outlet ban, while three other outlets (AP, Bloomberg, CNBC) reported the same authorized comments without being banned.
- The revelation undermines the legal basis for the ban, which is being challenged in federal court by Politico, CNN, and MS NOW on First Amendment grounds.
JD Vance Vice President
Donald Trump PresidentOliver Darcy Status editorTimothy J. Kelly U.S. District Judge
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Banned outlets' First Amendment lawsuit heard in federal court
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico file a joint federal lawsuit arguing the ban violates the First Amendment and due process. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee who ruled against the administration during Trump's first term in the 2018 Jim Acosta press credential dispute. Judge Kelly appears skeptical of the new ban during oral arguments.
“This revelation throws serious doubt on the idea that Politico's reporting posed a security threat that justified revoking their access.”
— Matthew Chapman, Raw Story reporter · source -
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JD Vance was one of the anonymous sources cited in an article the White House used to justify its press ban against Politico, along with CNN and MS NOW, according to a report
2 more of the top 3 · 4 posts in this stretch
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More: https://www. msn.com/en-us/news/other/jd-va nce-outed-as-anonymous-source-behind-story-trump-used-to-justify-banning-politico-report/ar-AA2cRhFT
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JD Vance unmasked as leaker for story White House used to justify press ban: report # RawStory
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Revelation undermines White House's security justification for ban
The exposure of Vance as the source casts doubt on the administration's claim that Politico endangered national security. The story did not involve an unauthorized leak—Vance's comments were made on an official call with ground rules the White House itself established. The Associated Press, Bloomberg, and CNBC reported the same information but were not included in the outlet ban.
“I think the second thing is we do expect to be signing this agreement over the next few days…It's probably more like 80, 85 percent now, but it's not 100 percent.”
— JD Vance, Vice President · source -
background
Oliver Darcy reports Vance was the anonymous Iran source — Status editor Oliver Darcy reports that JD Vance was the "senior administration official" quoted in the June Politico Iran story. Darcy reveals that Vance spoke during the White House-authorized background call, with participating journalists agreeing to the anonymity terms set by the administration itself. The Washington Post confirms the briefing's ground rules in a contemporaneous recording of the call.
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White House files court letter citing Iran story as security threat — The Trump administration submits a letter in federal court identifying six Politico stories as grounds for the ban, including the June Iran negotiations article. The letter characterizes the Iran story as disclosing "sensitive security information" that "threatens national security." The White House claims the publication "divert[s] White House resources" and spreads "misinformation about national security information."
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Trump bans Politico, CNN, and MS NOW from White House — President Trump announces the outlets are barred from White House grounds, accusing them of "constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS." Reporter badges for all three outlets are disabled the following day.
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Politico and other outlets publish Iran negotiations story — Multiple news organizations including Politico, the Associated Press, Bloomberg, and CNBC report on the administration's Iran negotiations using quotes from the anonymous senior official. The story cites the 80-85 percent probability estimate.
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White House conducts authorized background briefing on Iran negotiations — The Trump administration hosts an official press call where Vice President JD Vance discusses U.S.-Iran peace talks. The White House establishes ground rules requiring journalists to attribute comments only to "a senior administration official" and no embargo. Vance states the administration expects to sign an agreement within days and estimates the likelihood at 80-85 percent.