WH's Scott McClellan Says He
Knew 'Gannon' Was Guckert
Editor and Publisher
By E&P Staff
Published: February 10, 2005 2:35 PM ET
NEW YORK To the surprise of no one, the saga of former White
House correspondent James D. Guckert, also known as Jeff Gannon,
took center stage at a briefing conducted by White House
spokesman Scott McClellan today.
Gannon/Guckert quit his post at an obscure Web site, Talon
News, Tuesday night after bloggers exposed the fact that he had
been working under an alias and had possible links to
sex-oriented Web sites. Questions have emerged about how and why
the White House allowed the reporter to attend briefings and even
ask President Bush a very friendly question at his recent press
conference. (See previous E&P Online story.)
McClellan admitted today that he knew that "Jeff Gannon" was
not the reporter's real name. Yet at numerous televised press
briefings he addressed him as "Jeff."
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) today asked McClellan to
immediately release all documents related to what the White House
knew about "Gannon," and when they knew it.
From the transcript of today's briefing:
Q: Jeff Gannon. How did he get a White House pass, or what
kind of credentials did he have?
McClellan: Just like anyone else who comes to the White
House.
Q: Hard pass?
McClellan: No, he had never applied for a hard pass. He had a
daily pass. I think he's been coming for --
Q: Was he coming for --
McClellan: Hang on. I think he's been coming for more than two
years now.
Q: Under what name?
McClellan: Sorry?
Q: Under what name?
McClellan: Well, you have to get cleared. You have to -- just
like anybody else that comes to the White House, you have to have
your full name, your Social Security number, and your birth date.
So you have to be cleared just like anybody else.
Q: So he was being cleared under James Guckert, or whatever
his name is?
McClellan: My understanding, yes.
Q: OK, and how did he get picked to get a question asked at
the last news conference?
McClellan: He didn't. The president didn't have a list. The
president didn't -- he was in the briefing room. There are
assigned seats in the briefing room. We didn't do any assigning
of seats, and the president worked his way through the rows, and
called on people as he came to them. He doesn't know who he
is.
Q: Were you aware that he had another name?
McClellan: Was I aware? I had heard that. I had heard that,
yes, recently.
Q: But did you know during all this time that he really wasn't
Jeff Gannon?
McClellan: I heard at some point, yes -- previously.
Q: As Press Secretary, what do you think about this whole
--
McClellan: Well, like I said -- what do I think about it?
Well, let me explain a few things. First, as the press secretary,
I don't think it's the role of the press secretary to get into
picking or choosing who gets press credentials. Also, I don't
think it's the role of the press secretary to get into being a
media critic, and I think there are very good reasons for that.
I've never inserted myself into the process. He, like anyone
else, showed that he was representing a news organization that
published regularly, and so he was cleared two years ago to
receive daily passes, just like many others are. The issue comes
up -- it becomes, in this day and age, when you have a changing
media, it's not an easy issue to decide or try to pick and choose
who is a journalist. And there -- it gets into the issue of
advocacy journalism. Where do you draw the line? There are a
number of people who cross that line in the briefing room.
And, as far as I'm concerned, I would welcome the White House
Correspondents Association, if they have any concerns or issues
that they want to bring to my attention, they know my door is
open and I'll be glad to discuss these issues with them. I have
an open dialogue with the Correspondents Association. No one's
ever brought such an issue to my attention, in my -- during my
time as being press secretary. And you all cover the briefing
room on a regular basis. You know that there are a number of
people in that room that express their points of view, and there
are people in that room that represent traditional media, they
represent talk radio, they represent -- they're columnists, and
they represent online news organizations.
Q: Was the White House aware at all -- was the White House
aware -- was the White House aware at all about the online Web
sites that he was linked to?
McClellan: No. This has only come to my attention through the
news reports, just a few reporters calling in.
My understanding was, when he started coming to the White
House about two years ago, the staff asked to see that it -- that
he represented a news organization that published regularly. And
they showed that, so he was cleared and has been cleared ever
since based on that time.
And this is just now something that's come to my attention
more recently because it's been an issue raised in some media
reports.
E&P Staff (letters@editorandpublisher.com)
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