Karoline Leavitt Leaves After Accusing Susie Wiles of Deception

Imagine speaking to a journalist and waking up to realize the interview had gone viral, well, that’s what happened with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The situation has sparked a firestorm, with the public and media reacting strongly to the details shared in an interview with Vanity Fair writer Chris Whipple.

Whipple interviewed Wiles on multiple occasions, especially during moments of crisis. During these conversations, Wiles spoke candidly, which raises questions about whether some of her comments were meant to be off-the-record. Some of her remarks were so revealing that it's hard to believe they were intended for anyone other than Whipple, who she may have considered a trusted contact given their regular check-ins.

The interview was published recently, and the internet reacted quickly, leading to a scramble within the White House to address the fallout. GOP officials are reportedly in panic mode, trying to manage the narrative surrounding the article. Meanwhile, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has taken steps to defend Wiles, even as the story continues to gain traction.

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Leavitt addressed the controversy during a press conference on Tuesday, accusing Whipple of disingenuous reporting. She claimed the reporter took Wiles's words out of context and omitted important details from other conversations within the White House. Leavitt suggested that the article was biased, as it focused on the most sensational parts of the interview while ignoring other perspectives.

“This is, once again, an example of disingenuous reporting,” Leavitt said. “You have a reporter who took the Chief of Staff’s words wildly out of context, did not include the context those conversations were had within.”

She added: “And then further, the most egregious part of this article was the bias of omission, and we see a lot of this — when dealing with the media every day — you will leave out important context, leave out comments and facts.”

Leavitt also noted that many people in the White House spoke with Whipple, but their comments were not included in the article. She implied that these omissions were intentional, as they did not support the narrative of “chaos and confusion” that the writer seemed to push.

The Vanity Fair article featured quotes from Wiles, including her description of President Donald Trump as having an "alcoholic personality," despite the fact that he does not drink. She also mentioned that Trump believes "there's nothing he can't do." These statements were made during an interview with Whipple as part of a broader project on Trump's time in office. Excerpts from 11 interviews conducted during the first year of the administration were published by Vanity Fair on Tuesday.

Wiles has attempted to defend herself against the article, but she has not denied making the comments. Her response has been limited, leaving much of the burden of defense to others.

She turned and left in a huff

Wiles can only defend herself so much, and that’s where Leavitt comes in. The Press Secretary stepped up to the plate, emphasizing the support Wiles has received from the Cabinet and Capitol Hill. Leavitt stated that the entire administration, including those who don’t work directly in the White House, recognizes Wiles’s contributions to President Trump’s leadership and his ability to accomplish significant goals.

“What I will say about our Chief of Staff, as you’ve seen, not just from myself, the entire Cabinet, and a groundswell of support from people on Capitol Hill, who don’t even work in this building about how incredible Susie Wiles has been to President Trump, and he’s been able to accomplish so much because of his leadership and his tenacity, and also because of Chief of Staff Wiles’s leadership and her ability to effectuate his agenda.”