White House prohibits employees from using personal cell phones at work

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Thursday that the White House will begin to bar employees from using their cell phones on the job. Sarah Sanders said in a statement that the security and integrity of the White House technology system is the number one priority for the Trump administration. Therefore, she said, all personal appliances and facilities are no longer allowed in the West Wing of the White House.

GFDL, CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

She added that staff will be able to conduct business through government-issued equipment and continue to serve the American public. This change means that the Trump administration’s aides will not allow their personal cell phones to be used in the White House.

According to the news media, the new rule was imposed by the chief of staff John Kelly. Some assistants say the rule will make it difficult for them to keep in touch with their families, and Bloomberg reported that mobile phones provided by the White House are not allowed to send text messages, adding to staff grievances and complaints. Since his appointment, President Trump has often spoken of information leaks that plagued the Trump administration from the very beginning.

Reference: Bloomberg