Trump administration leakers keep leaking details of their bosses' attempts to plug leaks

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 3 March 2017

A scourge of unnamed sources are plaguing the White House and now even crackdowns on leaks are being leaked:

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has also tried to root out the leakers, only to have his efforts leaked. Politico writes that "[Spicer] explicitly warned staffers that using texting apps like Confide — an encrypted and screenshot-protected messaging app that automatically deletes texts after they are sent — and Signal, another encrypted messaging system, was a violation of the Presidential Records Act, according to multiple sources in the room."

Trump has repeatedly slammed the media for using anonymous sources. "They shouldn't be allowed to use sources unless they use a name," said Trump last month. "Let their name be put out there ... Let them say it to my face."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.