In an unprecedented attempt at preventing and dissuading staffers from leaking sensitive information to the press from within the White House, the Trump administration has begun checking phones.
According to an official, Press Secretary Sean Spicer recently had up to two dozen staffers show up to his office and demanded them to give up their phones to be checked for evidence of leaks, Fox News reports. Spicer reportedly followed up the action by warning that the screening they had undergone was "recess" compared to what the future likely holds should documents and statements continue to make their way into unauthorized hands.
To lead by example, Spicer is said to have taken the opportunity while he had everyone together, to delete the 'Confide' app from his phone, to show that officials from the top down are moving to ensure the security of sensitive documentation. He then reportedly informed staffers that the use of such an app for official business, which encrypts messages to automatically disappear after they've been sent and prevents messages from being forwarded or having screenshots taken of them, violates the Federal Records Act. In addition to cellphones, staffers had other technology devices searched.
The Trump administration has been hampered by leaks, going back to the weeks after the election, when a bombshell report suggested that proof of an inappropriate and unlawful conversation between Trump's National Security Chief and a high-ranking Russian official had been going around. That adviser, General Michael Flynn, has since resigned from his post, but the leaks have not stopped. Most recently, there was a report of a draft document that got out, in which the use of the National Guard to round up immigrants was discussed by officials. Musician Moby recently took to Facebook to rant about having accessed a leaked Russian intelligence dossier which discusses various plans that have been uncovered to try and unseat Trump from office, and to blackmail him along the way.
Source: foxnews.com
