Washington, October 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has accused the Trump administration of retaliation after The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg was reportedly removed from an upcoming presidential press-pool assignment following a tense exchange with President Donald Trump.
The association objected to the reported decision on Wednesday, a day after Trump repeatedly rebuked Feinberg during an Oval Office event focused on incentives for people who expose government fraud.
Feinberg had been scheduled to serve as the print-pool reporter for Trump’s Thursday trip to Sioux City, Iowa. According to reports, he confirmed that the White House had removed him from the assignment without providing an explanation.
“The White House Correspondents’ Association strongly objects to the decision to restrict a journalist’s coverage simply because the President didn’t care for their questioning. That is retaliation,” WHCA President Jacqui Heinrich said in a statement circulated to reporters.
“The American public’s right to an independent press depends on reporters being able to do their jobs without fear that challenging the president will cut off their access,” she added.
The association did not identify the journalist in its statement or specify the extent or duration of the reported restriction. The development concerns a particular travel-pool assignment; there is no confirmation in the available information that Feinberg’s White House press credentials have been revoked.
The confrontation took place on Tuesday when Feinberg questioned Trump about the administration’s proposed rewards for reporting fraud. Trump interrupted him several times and later ordered him to be quiet when he began asking about planned changes involving a Washington golf course.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you a sick person?” Trump asked.
“Not that I know of, sir,” Feinberg replied.
During the same event, Trump proposed giving informants one per cent of government funds recovered through fraud investigations, saying journalists could qualify subject to applicable laws and approval from their news organisations.
The proposal went beyond a separate Justice Department programme offering payments of $10,000 to $30,000 for qualifying information leading to criminal fraud charges. Vice President JD Vance said the administration intended to reward assistance in recovering money, rather than limiting payments to cases resulting in criminal prosecutions.
The administration had not provided a complete written framework explaining how the proposed recovery-based payments would operate alongside existing whistleblower arrangements.
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