Real photo of a recent executive order from WhiteHouse.gov (?)

The new presidential administration has a problem with accurate information. The number of falsehoods that pile up on a daily basis is unnerving enough, but according to a new USA Today report, the administration isn’t even accurately posting its own executive orders to the White House website.


It’s only been three weeks since Donald Trump was sworn in as president, but the administration’s use of government websites has already been a frequent source of conflict. Among other issues, it has removed vital public information while simultaneously promoting the first lady’s jewelry line. This latest report, however, suggests an even more disturbing level of negligence.




The text of executive orders that are stored in the Federal Register reflects their final, legally binding language. But that process can be slow and many look to the White House for confirmation on the exact content of an order. USA Today found at least five instances in which the White House’s version of an order differed from the official version in the register. The differences range from grammatical adjustments to correcting a citation of a non-existent law.

Here are the reported major changes related to law:

And here are the more minor reported changes:


Gizmodo has reviewed the documents on whitehouse.gov and the inaccuracies remain.

The White House has not responded to requests for comment but Jim Hemphill, special assistant to the director of the Federal Register tells USA Today, “We would never correct something that the president signs.” He says that the final documents sent to the register are what is recorded.


One possibility is that the White House is publishing older drafts of executive orders. Another is that the president is signing newly revised versions that are then delivered to the register. Of course, it could be something else entirely. No one seems to know for sure what’s going on right now, a situation that reflects how generally careless the White House has been.

The administration’s travel ban was broadly seen as a rushed and unvetted document that was unconstitutional. A federal court recently said as much and it appears that decision will stand. This order is estimated to affect the lives of at least 90,000 people. But the administration can’t be bothered to double-check the document, thoroughly review the legalities, properly cite case law, or (it turns out) even share the correct content of the president’s orders with the public expected to abide them.


[USA Today]