White House bans New York Post from attending Biden event

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Biden suggests 'negative' press coverage is to blame for his polling during MSNBC interview

President Biden complained to MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle about the "negative" press coverage he's gotten, suggesting it's to blame for his bad polling.

The White House barred the New York Post from attending President Biden's event on Monday with its reporter heavily suggesting the decision is tied to the looming legal troubles facing his son Hunter.

New York Post's White House correspondent Steven Nelson wrote he was not given press credentials he requested on Sunday to attend Biden's remarks on "Investing in Airline Accountability." 

In emails obtained by Fox News Digital, White House staff replied to Nelson on Monday, "We are unable to accommodate your credential request to attend the Investing in Airline Accountability Remarks on 5/8. The remarks will be live-streamed and can be viewed at WH.gov."

"Thank you for understanding.  We will let you know if a credential becomes available," White House staff added. 

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Nelson replied to the email with a list of questions about what he dubbed the White House's "mysterious prescreening program" that was implemented to curate which reporters can attend presidential events, pressing whether access is denied based on their coverage of the Biden administration. The White House did not respond to Nelson's inquiry. 

The White House rejected press credentials to New York Post correspondent Steven Nelson for President Biden's event on May 08, 2023.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

While the White House did not indicate there were space limitations when rejecting Nelson's credentials, he did obtain a photo from Daily Caller's White House correspondent Diana Giebova, which showed empty seats at Monday's event, reporting "There were about 20 empty press seats" in total. 

Nelson told Fox News Digital there was "relatively light interest" in Monday's event since Biden hasn't taken many questions from reporters in recent months "so a lot of people didn't even RSVP."

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

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Nelson has a lengthy track record in grilling the White House about the scandals plaguing Hunter Biden as the New York Post has been aggressive with its reporting about the First Family saga, famously breaking the bombshell report about his laptop during the 2020 presidential election. 

The New York Post correspondent helped spearhead an open letter to the White House last year to lift any restrictions on reporters and granting access for all events, which was supported by journalists from a large swath of news organizations including The New York Times, CNN, CBS News, Politico and Fox News. 

Monday's event came just days after a report that federal prosecutors are nearing a decision whether to indict the president's son over tax and gun-related violations. 

New York Post's Steven Nelson suggests his ban from President Biden's event is tied to his paper's aggressive reporting in his scandal-plagued son Hunter.  (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

One whistleblower from the IRS is alleging through an attorney that the agency's investigation into Hunter Biden had been politicized while a separate whistleblower from the FBI has told GOP lawmakers that there is a document within the bureau that outlines a bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden accepting foreign money in exchange for favored policy, though those lawmakers have acknowledged they have not seen the evidence but view the whistleblower as trustworthy. 

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Meanwhile, Biden continues defending his beleaguered son, most recently in an interview with MSNBC on Friday when asked how potential criminal charges brought by his own Department of Justice will impact his presidency. 

"First of all, my son's done nothing wrong," Biden told MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle. "I trust him, I have faith in him, and it impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him." 

President Biden complained about the "negative" press coverage he's received during an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle (Screenshot/MSNBC)

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During the same interview, Biden knocked the "negative" press coverage he has received, suggesting it's to blame for his bad polling as he recently launched his reelection bid. 

"All they've heard is negative news for three years. Everything is negative," Biden said. "I'm not being critical of the press, but you turn on the television — the only way you're gonna get a hit is if there's something negative."