Sean Spicer, the Press Secretary of White House is reported to have checked the cell phones of his staff to make sure they are not involved in passing information to the press reporters. This action is said to be a part of aggressive security measures to prevent the White House leaks.
The communication between Spicer and some of his personal staff was reported to have leaked. Spicer is reported to have checked the government issued electronic devices and the personal electronic devices of his staff for evidence of leads. Spicer came to know last week about the White House leaks last week.
He called his staff members to his office and expressed his frustration over the leakage. He added that using electronic devices that are capable of sending encrypted messages are in violation with the Federal Records Act.
Sean Spicer checked each staff’s phone
During the emergency meeting, in the presence of Don McGahn, the White House counsel, Spicer asked all his staff to dump their phone so that he can check each one of them to make sure nothing is going wrong. It was a way for the staff to prove that they didn’t have anything to hide. Spicer also warned his staffs against using apps like Confide and Signal as both these apps are capable of sending encrypted messages. Once the messages are sent from the two apps, it will automatically be deleted from the device.
Spicer warns his staff not to leak information about the phone checks
Sean Spicer also warned his staff not to leak the information about the phone check and the ban on using the apps Confide and Signal to the press. A few days back, the State Department's legal office had issues a memo. The 4-page memo discussed about the dangers of leaks.
However, the memo was immediately published in The Washington Post.
All is not well inside the West Wing
The atmosphere inside the West Wing is not good. There is an increase in frustration among the staff due to the pressure cooker environment and most of the staff is worried about their future. The mood in the communication office is also very tense.
In the recent meeting Sean Spicer had with his staff, he had heavily criticized Jessica Ditto, the deputy communications director, for some of the work done by her.
President Donald Trump is also very much frustrated over the leaks and has even slammed the FBI. Sean Spicer was furious as the news of appointing Mike Dubke as the White House Director of Communication was leaked and was reported by CNN even before it was officially announced.
