White House Stops Briefings... Former Spokespersons Urge Resumption

Grisham Spokesperson Refutes, Saying "The Media Complains"

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a national address regarding Iran's ballistic missile attack on the 8th (local time) at the White House Grand Foyer, accompanied by his aides. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Stephanie Grisham, the White House Press Secretary, has not held a single press briefing since taking office over six months ago, prompting former White House press secretaries to urge her to "resume briefings."

On the 12th (local time), according to CNN and others, 13 former spokespersons?including seven former White House press secretaries and six spokespersons from the State Department and Department of Defense?sent an open letter jointly to CNN urging Grisham to resume press briefings.

In the letter, they emphasized, "The process of preparing regular briefings helps the government operate better," adding, "This information sharing confirms to government officials and agencies that the administration is speaking with one voice and telling one story, regardless of persuasiveness."

They further added, "The mere existence of a briefing schedule serves as a strong motivation for government officials to complete policy procedures on time."

The last time a White House press secretary held a briefing was on March 11 last year, conducted by former press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Grisham, appointed at the end of June last year, has not held an official briefing even once in over six months.

However, Grisham argued through the online media Axios on the same day, "The media continues to complain about having unprecedented access to President Trump while not attracting attention on TV."

She countered, "If the president is not present, the White House press secretary would hold a briefing, but this president has never been absent," adding, "We should all appreciate this fact."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.