WASHINGTON: The White House announced Thursday that its staff and visitorswill no longer be allowed to use personal cell phones in the West Wing, thenerve center of the American executive branch.The personal mobile phone banwill go into effect next week, White House press secretary Sarah Sanderssaid.
She cited security reasons for the move but it comes amid an uproar overpublished comments about President Donald Trump and his family by formertop White House strategist Steve Bannon. “The security and integrity of thetechnology systems at the White House is a top priority for the Trumpadministration,” Sanders said. “Staff will be able to conduct business ontheir government-issued devices and continue working hard on behalf of theAmerican people.”
The West Wing houses the president’s Oval Office and the offices of hisclosest aides. Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly denounced leaks tothe press from his team. But the latest disclosures in a new book, “Fireand Fury: Inside the Trump White House” by journalist Michael Wolff,prompted Trump to say Bannon had “lost his mind.” Bannon was quoted in thebook as saying Trump’s son Don Jr, son-in-law Kushner and former campaignmanager Paul Manafort had been “treasonous” and “unpatriotic” for meetingduring campaign with a Kremlin-linked lawyer on a promise of dirt aboutDemocratic rival Hillary Clinton.