Joe Lockhart was White House press secretary from 1998-2000 in President Bill Clinton's administration. (CNN) For the last couple of years of President Clinton's second term, there was a particularly colorful member of the White House press corps. Joe LockhartThis reporter got cleared in every day by White House press staff because he didn't qualify for a permanent White House press pass based on the criteria established by the White House Correspondents Association. I tell this story to illustrate the danger of the new White House policy that cracks down on who gets the permanent -- or "hard" -- press pass. As background, those who qualify for hard passes get to enter the White House every day just by showing the pass, much like other White House staffers.

Source: CNN May 09, 2019 20:37 UTC