JD Vance Accused of Being Anonymous White House Official Who Helped Trigger Trump's Media Ban — After Veep Defended Prez's Decision

Vice President JD Vance has been accused of being an anonymous source behind one of the stories that the White House cited to justify banning several media outlets, RadarOnline has learned.

In June, Politico reported that a preliminary deal between the U.S. and Iran was close but not finalized. They mentioned an anonymous “senior administration official” who allegedly suggested that the chances of reaching an agreement were between 80 and 85 percent.

The Trump administration later pointed to the article in a letter defending its decision to revoke Politico's press access, saying the matter involved the “publication of sensitive security information” and “misinformation about national security information.”

However, Status reported on September 23 that Vance was the anonymous official who provided the information.

The Washington Post additionally reported that the White House hosted the press call and told reporters at the start that its contents were attributable to a “senior administration official.”

The White House Rapid Response account on X said the Politico article was cited to show that the White House had “gone to great lengths to provide important access.”

However, they argued the media allegedly distorted the information provided.

Vance also defended the outlet's media access to the White House being revoked.

“He’s not banning media outlets. What he’s doing is saying ‘we’re not going to give you special access to the White House if you engage in what is effectively propaganda,’” Vance claimed at the time. “If you’re going to engage in what is effectively far-left propaganda, why would a Republican White House give you special access?”

As Radar previously reported, Trump barred Politico, CNN and MS Now from the White House, accusing them of intentionally publishing negative coverage of his administration.

The three outlets filed a lawsuit, arguing that the ban violated their First Amendment and due process rights.

On September 24, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly directed the White House to restore credentials immediately to the affected outlets and issued a 14-day temporary restraining order.

Kelly found that the administration’s decision to bar the three organizations was likely unconstitutional. He also noted that the government did not contest the fact that the outlets had been given neither advance notice nor a chance to respond before their passes were taken away.

President Trump expected Kelly to rule against the White House and previously said an appeal would follow.