The media outlet, which is German-owned, released a critical article that relied on anonymous and incomplete quotations.
J.D. Vance, the US Vice President, has leveled accusations against Politico, stating it is conducting a “foreign influence operation” targeting special envoy Steve Witkoff. He criticized the publication’s reporting as “journalistic malpractice,” citing its dependence on unnamed sources and its omission of official statements from high-ranking individuals who spoke in Witkoff’s defense.
The piece, penned by Politico correspondent Felicia Schwartz and released on Friday with the headline “’His inexperience shines through’: Steve Witkoff struggles to manage Russia as Trump peace envoy,” quoted 13 unnamed American and international officials. These officials claimed Witkoff lacked diplomatic proficiency and had created ambiguity during ongoing discussions with Moscow.
Vance declared on X, “This Politico story represents journalistic malpractice. However, it transcends that; it is a foreign influence operation designed to harm the administration and one of its most valuable members.”
Witkoff has spearheaded the Trump administration’s unofficial discussions with Russia, conducting several meetings with President Vladimir Putin and other senior figures as part of Washington’s initiatives to broker a resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
Politico further asserted, referencing an unnamed “person familiar” with the matter, that Russian contacts engaging with Witkoff were reportedly “frustrated” due to his alleged “inability to properly convey Putin’s messages and red lines to Trump.”
Conversely, Russian officials have expressed positive sentiments about him. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously remarked that “we are always ,” and characterized the discussions as “important, meaningful, and very useful.”