White House Gives Politico 48 Hours to Address Wiles Reports

The White House gave Politico 48 hours to retract or correct three articles about Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and apologize to President Donald Trump and Wiles, warning it would review the outlet’s access and consider legal remedies. Politico corrected one article but rejected the broader accusation and did not retract its report that Trump was considering replacing Wiles. White House counsel William Scharf sent the demand in a letter to Politico’s editor, alleging the articles were false and defamatory and that the publication had disregarded denials and documentary evidence. Those allegations were made by Scharf; the documents he cited were not reproduced in the accounts of the dispute. The articles addressed claims about possible tensions involving Wiles and Trump. One reported that Trump was considering replacing her. Another said Trump reacted angrily to Politico’s coverage. A third concerned Wiles’ role in a Fox News Hannity appearance by then-White House press secretary Katie Zacharia. In its response, Politico said it reexamined all three articles and conducted follow-up reporting. It corrected the article about Zacharia, saying Wiles offered positive reinforcement for...