Kathrine Frich
The document listed six reporting incidents that supposedly violated administration expectations.
Information moves fast in the corridors of power, but the exact origin of a leak is usually a closely guarded secret.
Sometimes, the fiercest critics of a news report turn out to have a hidden connection to it.
A new revelation shows just how tangled those relationships can get.
The secret source
Vice President JD Vance has been identified as the anonymous official behind a major foreign policy leak. The media newsletter Status reported the revelation on Wednesday according to Daily Beast.
The leaked story from June 2026 focused on international peace talks. Politico published the piece, claiming there was an 80 to 85 percent chance that the US would reach a preliminary agreement to end the war with Iran.
Reporters granted the vice president anonymity in exchange for his insights. The Washington Post noted that a background press call hosted by the White House was also tied to the information.
Deemed a threat
That specific story soon became a weapon against the media. The Trump administration cited the Iran report as a primary reason for revoking press credentials from Politico.
A government court filing made the official White House letter public. The document listed six reporting incidents that supposedly violated administration expectations.
According to the letter, publishing the information diverted vital resources. “The spread of misinformation, especially relating to national security, is a threat that undermines the President’s ability to safeguard the national security,” the letter stated.
Defending the ban
Despite his reported role as the hidden source, Vance publicly backed the punishment. He spoke to reporters on Monday and called the decision to ban Politico “totally appropriate.”
“If you actually look at the objective analysis,” Vance said, “Politico is as anti-Trump as Breitbart was anti-Obama or anti-Biden.”
He quickly dismissed concerns about restricted press access. “They can still report on the Trump White House,” he added. “They can still get the public reports.”
Fighting back
Politico is not accepting the lockout quietly. The organization joined CNN and MS NOW to file a federal lawsuit on Monday. They argue the ban violates their First Amendment rights.
“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,” the news outlets said in a joint statement.
The legal battle is already moving forward. Federal Judge Timothy J. Kelly heard emergency arguments on Wednesday. While he held off on an immediate ruling, he noted that legal precedent “wasn’t followed here” by the administration.
Sources: Daily Beast, Status, Politico, The Washington Post, CNN, MS NOW
