President Obama won the first fight of his presidency: He can keep his BlackBerry.
A ruling has been reached among the president’s advisers – and the Secret Service – that will allow him to keep his e-mailing device. The decision is set to be explained this afternoon at the first White House briefing of the new administration.
For two months now, Mr Obama has been waging a vigorous public relations campaign among his aides and his minders to keep his BlackBerry, which he has relied upon for years. He insisted, officials said, that they find a way to allow him to step into the modern age and stay in touch with a small circle of associates.
He wouldn’t take no for an answer, even though he was dubious only a few weeks ago when he spoke about the topic in an interview with CNBC and The New York Times.
“They’re going to pry it out of my hands,” Mr Obama said.
Throughout the transition, several of his aides talked openly about Mr Obama’s obsession with keeping his Blackberry. And some of them, when speaking privately, said they were eager to have his device taken away so the case could be closed.
But Mr Obama won and is likely to become the first e-mailing president.
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, is preparing to explain how at a news briefing that is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. The first word of this decision was reported on Wednesday on the Web site of The Atlantic.
In addition to concerns about e-mail security, Mr Obama is subject to the Presidential Records Act, which puts his correspondence in the official record and ultimately up for public review, and the threat of subpoenas. None of his e-mails could be released until after his presidency.
The president did give up one thing: his old address, the one he’s been using for years. His new address? That’s classified.
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