In the court battle today, the report said, "The White House singled out six stories published by POLITICO, including a June 2026 article that cited a 'senior administration official' who put the odds of the U.S. striking a deal with Iran to end the war at between 80 and 85 percent." This was characterized as some sort of leak that endangered national security.

However, according to Status, that "senior administration official" was Vance, who was "speaking on a background call with reporters authorized by the White House," and had been granted anonymity by the press pool.