The Trump administration planned to scrub some federal government websites in order to remove content contrary to the president’s thinking, administration officials told CBS News, and word spread quickly throughout Washington about actions that might be taken to alter the websites.
There was confusion about whether sites would be entirely shut down, but federal department and agency websites remained functional Friday.
“The agency websites are still up and running,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CBS News.
Guidance from the Office of Personnel Management early last week instructed all federal agencies to take steps “no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday” to “take down all outward facing media (websites, social media accounts, etc.) of DEIA offices.” The directive referred to Jan. 22.
Some of the memo was misinterpreted by agencies and people who would be affected in Washington, aides said.
President Trump, asked by reporters in the Oval …