Alexi McCammond at Axios:
Prank Caller Patched Through to Trump on Air Force One.
The host of "The Stuttering John" podcast, John Melendez, got [Donald] Trump on the phone yesterday by pretending he was New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez. "This is how easy it is to infiltrate the administration," Melendez said in the episode.
Why it matters: This calls into question White House security.
Axios' "Why It Matters" section is always amazing (not necessarily in a good way), but that is some terrific understatement, right there. It does indeed call into question White House security, as well as calling into question
the judgment of the President of the United States, since he ended up discussing with
a prankster his immigration policy and his timeline for making a decision about his SCOTUS nominee. Twelve to fourteen days, if you were curious.
White House staff members are freaking out today trying to figure out how the podcast host was so easily transferred from the White House switchboard to Air Force One, per a source familiar with the call.
The whole thing is ridiculous. Melendez, the host, had three different interactions with two White House operators and got through two call screens before Jared Kushner called him from Air Force One. According to Melendez, Kushner asked if he wanted to talk to the president then or have them call him back later, which is what he did.
...The White House didn't respond to requests for comment.
Good fucking gourd.
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