As the Donald Trump presidency approaches the one-year mark, the White House now says it plans to crack down on the use of "all personal devices," and the policy is expected to be implemented as quickly as next week.
"The security and integrity of the technology systems at the White House is a top priority for the Trump administration, and therefore, starting next week the use of all personal devices for both guests and staff will no longer be allowed in the West Wing," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement on Thursday morning.
Sanders continued, "Staff will be able to conduct business on their government-issued devices and continue working hard on behalf of the American people."
The announcement of the new policy came just after excerpts of an explosive new book written by Michael Wolff were released, which has stirred controversy inside the White House. The White House "has long toyed with banning personal phones, but some staffers have raised objections, arguing that they need their personal devices to keep in contact with their children and other family members," Politico reported.
In October, it was revealed that Chief of Staff John Kelly's phone — a personal device — was believed to have been compromised as far back as December 2016, as Salon previously reported.
But still, the timing is quite coincidental, and the White House has cited "security concerns" as its reason for enforcing the policy. It was also announced on Wednesday morning that a Trump lawyer has made efforts to block Wolff's book from being released. Charles J. Harder ordered the book's publisher, Henry Holt & Co., to "immediately cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination of the book."
It's been speculated the threat could just be a bluff.
Nonetheless, Twitter rapidly reacted to the announcement of the new policy.
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