Exclusive–Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan Hosts CNN’s Jake Tapper for Off-the-Record Meeting

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Acting Secretary, Kevin McAleenan, hosted CNN’s Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper for a private, off-the-record meeting last month.

On May 24, McAleenan had lunch at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., with Tapper for an exclusive, off-the-record meeting, Breitbart News confirmed with two sources close to the administration.

Breitbart News first reached out to DHS officials for comment on May 30 after learning of the private meeting. Days later, on June 1, a DHS spokesperson did not provide details of the meeting between McAleenan and Tapper, but said that agency officials engage “with a variety of media partners.”

“As a law enforcement entity, the public’s trust is critical to the Department of Homeland Security’s mission,” a DHS spokesperson said. “To maintain that trust, the Department engages with a variety of media partners to respond to media inquiries and provide factual information about its critical and diverse missions.”

An administration official with knowledge of the off-the-record meeting told Breitbart News that McAleenan is “more concerned with ingratiating himself with other Never Trumpers who have always advocated for open borders.”

Another source with knowledge of the meeting said McAleenan offered Tapper an “unprecedented level of access and accommodation.”

“What was discussed behind closed doors, we’ll likely never know, but if I’m a member of the administration battling each day to counter the wall-to-wall disinformation campaign of Tapper and the opposition party, this meeting is sacrilege,” the source told Breitbart News.

Since his presidential campaign, President Trump has ridiculed CNN for its coverage of his administration. Last year, in particular, Tapper cut off Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller during an interview.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.