Sean Spicer Reportedly Forced Staffers to Submit to Phone Checks to Snuff Out Leaks

According to a report by Politico today, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is looking to snuff out leaks coming from the White House to the press by having staffers submit to security checks.

With President Donald Trump expressing anger over government leaks to the media over a wide range of stories focused on his administration, claiming that the leaks are real but the news is fake, Spicer is implementing tougher measures to find the culprits.

Last week, after Spicer became aware that information had leaked out of a planning meeting with about a dozen of his communications staffers, he reconvened the group in his office to express his frustration over the number of private conversations and meetings that were showing up in unflattering news stories, according to sources in the room.

Upon entering Spicer’s second floor office, staffers were told to dump their phones on a table for a “phone check,” to prove they had nothing to hide.

Per the report, Spicer consulted with White House counsel Don McGahn before confronting the staffers. At the meeting, he told them that using protected messaging apps was a violation.

He also warned all those attending the meeting of “more problems” if news of this leaked out to the media. Which, of course, it did.

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona

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