Trump World ups attacks on Politico despite correction on Wiles story

Trump administration officials and allies reupped criticism of Politico this week after the news outlet issued a correction on a story about White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

Politico updated their reporting Wednesday to note that the piece incorrectly stated Wiles played a direct role in setting up ousted press secretary Katie Zacharia’s viral interview with Sean Hannity after Fox News and the White House both disputed this characterization.

A senior White House official clarified to the outlet that Wiles only “offered positive reinforcement” for this booking. In a social media post linking to the updated article, Politico noted the original story “mischaracterized Wiles’ role in connection with this interview.”

“Let me get this straight -@politico published a false story saying the exact opposite of what this now-released story says and their explanatory note says they ‘mischaracterized’ the events?” Scott Kupor, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, wrote on social media Thursday in response. “I don’t think that word ‘mischaracterized’ means what you think it means!”

Former press secretary Karoline Leavitt also slammed Politico in a social media post , labeling them as “the worst outlet in Washington” following their correction.

“They constantly peddle false gossip and malicious lies from clueless anonymous sources to demean the Trump Administration,” she wrote.

“Much of my time as Press Secretary was spent disproving and killing fake stories they were adamant about writing,” Leavitt continued. “They may have issued a correction on this one, but the damage has already been done. 100% Fake News.”

After Leavitt’s departure from her role in August, the Trump administration barred Politico, CNN and MS NOW from accessing the White House over disputes with their coverage of President Trump. Journalists from these outlets eventually had their press credentials restored after a federal judge ruled against the administration’s decision.

Conservative podcaster Katie Miller, wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, pointed to Politico’s Berlin-based parent company Axel Springer SE as evidence the outlet was producing “anti-American fake news pushed by foreign influences.”

GOP strategists Alex Bruesewitz and Danielle Alvarez similarly criticized the outlet over this error in social media posts.

Alvarez, who served as a senior adviser on Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, said Politico “should be embarrassed.”

“Politico’s reckless disregard for the truth is a disgrace to journalism,” she wrote on social media Thursday. “At this point, the question isn’t whether Politico got the facts wrong — it’s why its editors continue to publish claims they know are false.”