White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is brushing off media blowback over new restrictions that block reporters from wandering into staff office space near the Oval Office, saying the rules are needed to stop journalists from snooping on sensitive conversations.
Starting Oct. 31, the White House and National Security Council barred reporters from entering Room 140, known as Upper Press, unless they schedule a visit. Until now, credentialed correspondents could pop in unannounced to secure comments from senior officials.
Leavitt told the New York Post’s Miranda Devine on “Pod Force One” that the clampdown followed incidents where reporters were caught recording or listening in on internal discussions without permission.
“We felt it became very inappropriate for reporters to be loitering around sensitive information in our offices,” Leavitt said. “And we did unfortunately catch some unruly reporters recording us without our permission, listening in on conversations, eavesdropping.
“We’d have staff meetings in the morning. Some of the reporters started to pick up on that. And we’d walk out, and they would be out there trying to listen. If Secretary Rubio or the chief [of staff] want to come in and brief us on something, you’d have reporters out there heckling them. It just became an inappropriate work environment.”
WATCH:
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on reporters being banned from roaming the Upper Press Area of the White House: “We did unfortunately catch some reporters recording us, without our permission. Listening in on our conversations—eavesdropping. We would have staff… pic.twitter.com/eee3a6MC7I
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) November 19, 2025
She said journalists can still access the room by appointment and that most have already signaled privately that they can live with the new process.
“A lot of the outrage you’re seeing on Twitter [X], they’ve told us privately they’re OK with how this system works so long as they can still have appointments with me to understand the news of the day,” Leavitt said.
“And we grant them that access. I give them as much time as I possibly can on my schedule, although a lot of my time is with the president and in the Oval Office and sitting in on meetings. So, I try to devote as much time as I can to the press because that is my job, right? That’s the basic duty is for me to work with the press and make sure they’re telling the truth out there.”
The White House Correspondents’ Association blasted the new rules, warning that limiting access will make it harder to question senior aides. “The White House Correspondents’ Association unequivocally opposes any effort to limit journalists from areas within the communications operations of the White House that have long been open for newsgathering, including the press secretary’s office,” association president Weijia Jiang of CBS News said.
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