Author of new book about Trump White House says Kellyanne Conway is 'the No. 1 leaker'


It was Kellyanne Conway, in the White House, with the telephone.
News leaks from the White House roughly eight seconds after it happens, and Ronald Kessler, the author of a new book about the state of President Trump's administration, says he has an idea of who passes along the most information to the media: Conway, counselor to President Trump and spin doctor extraordinaire.
On Sunday's State of the Union, Kessler told CNN's Jake Tapper that "if you wonder why there are so many leaks out of the White House, one reason is Kellyanne Conway is the No. 1 leaker." Kessler shared that Conway once forgot during an interview with him that she was on-the-record, and let loose — she said "mean, cutting, and honestly untrue" things about former chief of staff Reince Priebus, Kessler said, and also "dissed" Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, senior adviser Jared Kushner.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Speaking of Ivanka and Jared, Kessler told Tapper that Trump sees the pair, who pushed the president to fire former FBI Director James Comey and hire short-lived White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, as "problems," but it's highly unlikely he'd ever fire his family. Scaramucci was "the most absurd hire in the history of the White House," Kessler added, and the firing of Comey wound up being "disastrous." Kessler's book, The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game, is out Tuesday. Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
What to know about Real IDs, America's new identification cards
The Explainer People without a Real ID cannot board a commercial flight as of May 7, 2025
-
Where is the left-wing Reform?
Today's Big Question As the Labour Party leans towards the right, progressive voters have been left with few alternatives
-
Scattered Spider: who are the hackers linked to M&S and Co-op cyberattacks?
The Explainer 'Decentralised and adaptive', its mainly English-speaking members operate like an 'organised criminal network'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war
-
Trump's 100-day approval ratings at historic low
Speed Read Americans appear to be wary of Trump's sweeping tariffs and handling of the economy
-
Judge blocks key part of Trump's elections overhaul
Speed Read Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision temporarily bars federal officials from requiring Americans to prove they are citizens to register to vote