President Donald Trump is threatening to sue writers and journalists who use anonymous sources, a common practice in the news industry.
In a social media post, Trump aired grievances with books and stories being published “with the so-called ‘anonymous,’ or ‘off the record,’ quotes.”
“At some point I am going to sue some of these dishonest authors and book publishers, or even media in general, to find out whether or not these “anonymous sources” even exist, which they largely do not,” Trump wrote.
Trump additionally said he was considering a “NICE NEW LAW” to combat journalists engaging in these practices.
“They are made up, defamatory fiction, and a big price should be paid for this blatant dishonesty. I’ll do it as a service to our Country. Who knows, maybe we will create some NICE NEW LAW!!!” he wrote.
Using anonymous sources is a common practice in journalism when revealing the source would put some aspect of their life, whether that be safety, employment, or other, in danger or jeopardy. Journalists using anonymous sources have previously been able to protect those sources’s identities in court battles.
Trump’s comments come as he has taken issue with one of his least favorite authors, Michael Wolff, as Wolff published a new book titled All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America. The president, who has previously disagreed with Wolff’s work, called the new book, which was released Tuesday, “a total FAKE JOB.” The book reportedly discusses Trump allies, including lawyer Boris Epshteyn and Trump’s billionaire adviser Elon Musk, according to a New York Times review.
Wolff’s previous work has also been under scrutiny from Trump and conservative media figures, and some doubted whether his book Fire and Fury was fact-checked at all, after numerous errors.
“I can see several places in the book that are wrong. So for instance, he inaccurately describes a report in the New York Times. He inaccurately characterizes a couple of incidents that took place early on in the administration. He gets basic details wrong,” Maggie Haberman said on CNN in 2018.
Trump’s post additionally came as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Tuesday that the White House Correspondents Association would no longer be in charge of choosing who covers the White House, but that the White House itself would approve press passes. Since 1924, the association has handled assignments for pool duties rather than the White House.
In response, White House Correspondents Association president Eugene Daniels said, “This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States.”
“It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president. In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps,” Daniels said.
One day after Leavitt’s announcement, the White House pulled two outlets, HuffPost and Reuters, from the daily pool coverage and replaced them with right-wing outlets, the Blaze and Newsmax.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES TAKEOVER OF PRESS ROTATION FOR WHITE HOUSE EVENTS
The press pool includes a rotating group of 18, encompassing one of five television stations, one of 30 print outlets, wire services such, a rotating print seat, a radio seat, and photographers. These people travel with the president, attend daily events inside the White House like speeches or executive order signings inside the Oval Office, and relay news reports to hundreds of other news outlets.
Trump has a long history of attacking and discrediting journalists whose coverage he does not agree with. He has recently engaged in legal battles with CBS’s 60 Minutes and ABC.