The furor began when Politico White House reporter Alex Thompson accused officials of leaking a statement confirming Bedingfield’s resignation to the Wall Street Journal so the report would break the story. “I called the White House at 2:53 p.m. to ask for comment and told them we were running,” Thompson wrote. “They asked for more time to contact people. I gave it to them. The WSJ posted at 3:11 p.m. with a statement from [White House chief of staff Ron] Klein.” About two hours later — and only minutes after the White House officially announced Bedingfield’s departure — Thompson tweeted that the White House had finally sent him the official response from Klain. White House communications director Kate Bedingfield is resigning.REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Several reporters expressed sympathy for Thompson and said his experience was not an isolated incident. “Sounds so familiar!” said Tyler Pager of the Washington Post. “The White House does all of this. O. Time,” wrote Thompson’s Politico colleague Alex Ward. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted it was a “priority” to reopen presidential events.Win McNamee/Getty Images CNN’s White House correspondent Kate Bennett called the White House’s move “bad form,” while NBC News’ Ben Collins opined that the White House needs “a new Comms Director.” “If you’re a comms person, it’s not your job to run interference for news outlets you favor or have given exclusivity to,” tweeted Politico’s fellow White House reporter Max Tani. The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. The controversy erupted a week after 73 journalists signed a letter demanding that the White House lift the arcane pre-selection process for major presidential events that has repeatedly blocked access by various outlets, including The Post. On Tuesday, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre insisted it was a “priority” to reopen events, saying “we want to be accessible.” It is unclear when the White House plans to lift the procedure, as it has already resumed its regular schedule of public tours and recently hosted other major events while keeping the restrictions in place.
