White House personal device ban to go into effect Jan. 16
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed to CBS News that the West Wing's ban on cell phone use will go into effect January 16th. A memo was sent to staff in the White House by Chief of Staff John Kelly on Wednesday announcing the roll out.
According to the memo, the ban pertains to "all portable electronic devices not issued by the White House." The moratorium on cell phone use would go into effect from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday through Friday. Any violators of the imposed ban could be subject to further disciplinary action.
The White House announced the new policies on the use of personal cell phones in the West Wing in the wake of damaging reports of a chaotic Trump administration detailed in a new book.
Sanders released the following statement on the policy change just after the start of the new year:
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. Staff will be able to conduct business on their government-issued devices and continue working hard on behalf of the American people.
CBS News' Mark Knoller reports that during the Obama administration, reporters were not allowed to bring personal devices into the Roosevelt Room.
The move comes after explosive excerpts from Michael Wolff's forthcoming book were released detailing the chaos inside the Trump White House.
Wolff reportedly gained access to the White House where he conducted numerous interviews with staffers on the inner-workings of the Trump campaign and West Wing operations.
Sanders told reporters Wednesday that there were about "a dozen" interactions between Wolff and White House officials, which she said took place at Bannon's request. The White House swiftly slammed the book and those who cooperated with Wolff.