The White House is stripping the White House Correspondents’ Association of its role in managing the White House Press Pool, taking control of deciding who will be a part of the small rotating group of journalists and photographers who accompany the president.

The White House said on Tuesday it would decide which media organizations participate in the press pool that covers the president, wresting control away from the group of journalists that has done so for decades.

In response to the Trump administration sidelining the White House Correspondents Association and taking full control over which media outlets get White House access, on Wednesday WHCA denounced what it called a threat to "the independence of a free press in the United States,