The president of a group representing the White House press corps said Monday night its leaders rejected a request by the Trump administration to criticize a news report that the White House didn’t like.
White House Correspondents Association President Jeff Mason said the group turned down the White House’s request because “that’s not what we do.” He said an unnamed White House official wanted the group to issue a statement denouncing a particular news report.
His comments came at a town-hall meeting of the journalists’ group near the White House. Mr. Mason would not specify the media organization or the story the White House objected to, nor would he say when the request took place.
Mr. Mason told the story as he recounted the association’s efforts to represent the press corps in an increasingly contentious relationship with the Trump White House.
The association advocates for press access and holds an annual dinner in Washington that Mr. Trump boycotted this year.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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