The White House announced on Thursday a ban on all use of personal cellphones in the West Wing for staffers and guests.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a statement on Thursday said that the ban is to ensure “the security and integrity of the technology systems at the White House.”
“The security and integrity of the technology systems at the White House is a top priority for the Trump administration,” the statement reads. “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 still "be able to conduct business on their government-issued devices and continue working hard on behalf of the American people," she goes on to say.
When asked during Thursday’s White House press briefing whether the ban was in response to the release of excerpts from “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” by Michael Wolff, a book that claims of widespread dysfunction and infighting within the Trump administration, Sanders replied, “No. That’s a ridiculous characterization.”
“This is about the security and the integrity of the technology systems here at the White House,” she explained. “This is something that has been in process, in the works for over six months, and we were making sure that all of the information and the ability for the government phones to increase their ability for other application so that we can comply with Presidential Records Act, that was a big piece of making sure that this was done.”
“Now that that process is completed we can move forward,” said Sanders.
The White House press secretary added that the "Fire and Fury" book is "complete fantasy and full of tabloid gossip."
It was reported that President Trump was first considering banning staffers from using personal cellphones back in November in lieu of leaks to the media of classified information.
White House officials contested that report, saying that the ban was instead driven by cybersecurity concerns.
"One official said that there are too many devices connected to the campus wireless network and that personal phones aren’t as secure as those issued by the federal government," reports Bloomberg.
The ban will be effective starting next week.
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