How much did Disney, Warner Bros & press secretaries pay TV Networks for special Capitol access?
100+ examples of RTCA dismissing Congressional statutes and writing its own media rules
WASHINGTON — Congress is explicit: Only “bona fide journalists” are allowed press credentials — and the special access and privileges that accompany a government-issued hard pass — to the US Capitol.
But the Senate Radio-Television Correspondents’ Association has been approving credentials for press secretaries, activists and corporate special interests.
Below, find raw research of questionable credentials the RTCA Executive Committee approved for their own news outlets.
The elected leadership of the RTCA Executive Committee has refused numerous attempts to clarify or correct our list. We’re especially curious about which membership tiers RTCA is currently offering.
Only one of the group’s four websites — RTCA Senate, RTCA House, RTCA Cap Hill and RTCA Capitol Hill — lists an “Honorary” member tier for “those persons, who in the opinion of the majority of the Executive Committee have rendered outstanding service to the objects of this Association.”
The cost of regular, Associate-level admission to RTCA is $40 per credential. RTCA does not publicly declare the cost for admission to its other tiers, though RTCA bylaws are clear that the Executive Committee sets the price for admission.
ICYMI — RTCA credentialed a convicted pedophile
Just the Facts
Latest available raw RTCA credentialing data
ABC — 118th Congress
*17 of 141 credentialed (research assisted by Perplexity)
1. James Meek — credentialed after he resigned when FBI raided his home in 2022 (NBC)
a. “Man Arrested for Transporting Images of Child Sexual Abuse,” DOJ release Feb. 2023
2. Mina Kaji — public affairs, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
a. Left journalism in 2022 (LinkedIn)
3. Kenneth Moton — ABC anchor role ended December 2022
a. Not active ABC staff during 118th Congress (LinkedIn)
4. Matthew Mosk — former ABC News investigative producer; joined CBS January 2022
a. Not active ABC staff during 118th Congress (LinkedIn)
5. Terrance Smith — former digital news associate; moved to Yahoo Sports May 2022
a. Not active ABC staff during 118th Congress (LinkedIn)
6. Megan Cunningham — left ABC in 2022; RTCA credentialed for 2023-2024
a. Missouri statehouse reporter, The Beacon (started 2022; Linkedin)
7. Carmen Currie — not journalist; hairstylist Meghan McCain/ The View (Business Insider)
a. Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
8. Jackie Lyn Walker — not a journalist; makeup artist (LinkedIn)
a. Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
ABC — not based in DC, per RTCA rules
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
9. Almin Karamehmedovic — New York-based since 2008; President, ABC News (LinkedIn)
10. Elizabeth Alesse — New York-based since 2020; former VP of ABC Audio
a. Now Vice President and General Manager of Axios Local (LinkedIn)
11. Andrew Dymburt — New York-based Anchor/Correspondent since May 2021 (LinkedIn)
12. Conor Finnegan — Mexico City-based from May 2022 to July 2025 (LinkedIn)
13. David Muir — no DC address; anchor of World News Tonight broadcast from New York
14. Siobhan Fisher — Brooklyn-based since 2022; Good Morning America (LinkedIn)
15. John Santucci — Executive Editorial Producer who left DC for NYC in 2022 (LinkedIn)
16. James Smith — Good Morning America Editor based in Brooklyn, NY (LinkedIn)
17. Armando Torres-Garcia — New York-based; no record they ever lived in DC (LinkedIn)
CBS — 118th Congress
*14 of 206 people credentialed seem to skirt RTCA Constitution
1) Caitlin Conant — left journalism in 2022; RTCA credentialed in 2023-2024 (LinkedIn)
a. VP of Public Affairs & Policy Communications, The Walt Disney Company
2) Timothy Perry — left media to do PR for Disney; Los Angeles, CA-based
a. Corporate Communications Manager, The Walt Disney Company (LinkedIn)
3) Michael Peyton — left CBS / Atlanta-based non-Journalist
a. Partnerships and Communications, IGN & Warner Bros (LinkedIn)
4) Brooke Lorenz — Director of Communications, Artemis Strategies
a. Left media for PR/lobbying firm in 2022 (LinkedIn)
CBS — not based in DC, per RTCA rules
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
5) John Dickerson — no DC address; New York-based
a. Anchor and Chief Political Analyst (LinkedIn)
6) Benjamin Tracy — no DC address; LA-based
a. Senior national and environmental correspondent (LinkedIn)
7) Kristopher Van Cleave — no DC address; Phoenix, AZ-based (LinkedIn)
a. Senior transportation and national correspondent
8) Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews — no DC address; relocated to New York HQ (LinkedIn)
a. President, CBS News
9) Laura Doan — no DC address; relocated to New York in early 2024 (LinkedIn)
a. Fact Checker / Visual Verification Journalist
10) Mark Mazariegos — no DC address; relocated to Doral, Florida (LinkedIn)
a. Photojournalist
11) LaCrai Mitchell (Scott) — no DC address; relocated to New York (LinkedIn)
a. Producer, CBS Evening News
12) Camilo Montoya-Galvez — no DC address; relocated to New York (LinkedIn)
a. Immigration Correspondent
13) Brian Nalesnik — no DC address; New Jersey / New York City metro (LinkedIn)
a. Television Director
14) Bartholomew (Bryan) Noonan — no DC address; New York-based (LinkedIn)
a. Senior Financial Analyst / Finance Manager
CNN — 118th Congress
*31 of 317 credentialed appear to be out of compliance
1. Jason Hoffman — went to Bloomberg in 2021; credentialed CNN by RTCA in 2023-2024
a. Moved out of DC in 2022; Brunswick Group PR (started May 2024; LinkedIn)
2. Nathalie Jimenez — left CNN for BBC in 2022
a. New York-based (LinkedIn)
3. Noah Broder — left CNN for CNBC in 2022; credentialed by RTCA in 2023-2024
a. Left DC in 2021; now New York City-based Field Producer at CNBC (LinkedIn)
4. Maeve Reston — left CNN Feb. 2023; Los Angeles-based (LinkedIn)
a. RTCA re-credentialed her in April 2023 after she went to The Washington Post
5. Heather Fulbright Grambergs — left CNN in 2022; credentialed under CNN in 2023
a. Atlanta-based Photographer (LinkedIn)
6. Etolia Stinson — left CNN in 2022; credentialed under CNN by RTCA 2023-2024
a. Dallas-based Marketing Coordinator (LinkedIn)
CNN — not based in DC, per RTCA rules
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
7. Adrian Reyes — no DC address
a. Miami-based since starting with CNN in 2014 (LinkedIn)
8. Mary Moloney — No DC address
a. left DC in 2022; Atlanta, Georgia (Linkedin)
9. Bonney Kapp — appears to have never lived in DC
a. New York-based (LinkedIn)
10. Mark Biello — left DC in 1987
a. Atlanta-based Senior Photojournalist (LinkedIn)
11. Frank Bivona — never appears to have lived in DC
a. Atlanta-based Photojournalist (LinkedIn)
12. Robert Crowley — never appears to have lived in DC
a. Boston-based Senior Photojournalist (LinkedIn)
13. Tami Luhby — never appears to have lived in DC
a. Bronx, New York-based (LinkedIn)
14. Catherine Carter — never appears to have lived in DC
a. New York City-based Senior Editorial Producer (LinkedIn)
15. McKenna Ewen — left DC in 2020
a. Minneapolis, Minnesota (LinkedIn)
16. Melissa Frydman — left DC in 2022
a. New York-based Director, Integrated Content Development (LinkedIn)
17. Christopher Turner — no DC address
a. Jackson, Mississippi (LinkedIn)
18. Julia Vargas Jones — no DC address
a. Los Angeles / São Paulo / New York (LinkedIn)
19. Michelle Velez — left DC in 2022 (LinkedIn)
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Multiplatform Producer, Connect the World
20. Walter Imparato — no DC address
a. New York-based Photojournalist (LinkedIn)
21. Thomas Jurek — no DC address
New York-based Photojournalist (LinkedIn)
22. Jeffrey Simon — left DC in 2014
a. New York-based (LinkedIn)
23. Emily Welch — left DC in 2022
a. New York-based Senior Editorial Producer, Fareed Zakaria GPS (LinkedIn)
24. Gregory Krieg — left CNN / appears to have never lived in DC
a. New York-based; has since left CNN (LinkedIn)
25. Jamie Zahn-Liebes — no DC address
a. New York-based Director, Booking-Morning Programing (LinkedIn)
26. Sydney Walton — left DC in 2022
a. New York-based Associate Producer (LinkedIn)
27. Jamie Wiener — no DC address
a. Great Neck, New York; Photojournalist (retired April 2025; LinkedIn)
28. Monica Serrano Quintero — appears to have never lived in DC
a. New York, New York (LinkedIn)
29. Kitty O’Keefe — left DC in 2021
a. New York-based (LinkedIn)
30. Christopher Perry — never appears to have lived in DC. Atlanta-based (LinkedIn)
31. Oren Liebermann — Jerusalem Bureau Chief
a. Israel-based; family has northern Virginia home (LinkedIn)
Fox News — 118th Congress
*11 of 252 credentials appear to run afoul of RTCA Constitution
1. Marina Minas — Chief Marketing Officer, Turning Point USA; Phoenix-based (LinkedIn)
a. Fox producer until 2022; RTCA credentialed her in 2023-24
2. Lauren Blanchard — media consultant (2024-Present)
a. Left Fox in 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina-based since 2023 (LinkedIn)
3. Grace Richardson — left Fox in 2017, credentialed by RTCA 2023-24
a. Freelance Video Editor / Videographer (LinkedIn)
4. Kelly Dixon — left Fox NYC Bureau in 2022; RTCA credentialed in 2023-2024
a. Fmr. Production Manager; now Inizio Engage XD FILM in Philadelphia (LinkedIn)
5. Jillian Mele — left Fox News in 2021-2022; credentialed 2023-2024
a. Local Philadelphia anchor (2022-23); founded Jillian Mele Communications (2023)
6. Isabelle Beyda — left Fox in 2022; credentialed by RTCA for 2023-2024
a. Fmr. Assignment Editor, Fox Business; now Miami-based (LinkedIn)
7. Tucker Carlson — RTCA approved credential after Fox argued he’s all ‘rhetorical hyperbole’
a. 2020: Fox lawyers got a defamation suit dismissed after arguing he’s just a commentator, not a journalist (McDougal v. Fox News Network)
Fox News — not based in DC, per RTCA rules
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
8. Nicholas Conca — no DC address
a. New York-based Production Assistant (LinkedIn)
9. Matthew Leach — left DC in 2021
a. Tampa, Florida-based Senior Producer, Fox Digital (LinkedIn)
10. Kevin Scimecca — no record ever lived in DC
a. New York-based Producer, The Five (LinkedIn)
11. Rachel Rea — hasn’t lived in DC since 2015
New York-based Executive Producer, Will Cain Show (LinkedIn)
Fox Business — 118th Congress
*2 of 16 credentials issued to NYC residents
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
1. Daniel Hillsdon — Senior Field Producer
a. New York-based (LinkedIn)
2. Brooke Haliscak — Line Producer
a. Brooklyn, New York-based (LinkedIn)
Fox Radio — 118th Congress
*8 of 15 credentials issued to non-DC area residents
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
1. Jason Austin — Manager of News & Editorial, Fox Radio SiriusXM
a. New York-based (LinkedIn)
2. Wyatt Dobrovich-Fago — Associate Producer
a. Spring Lake, New Jersey-based (LinkedIn)
3. Thomas Graham — Anchor
a. Brooklyn, New York-based; moved away from DC in 2015 (LinkedIn)
4. Devon Kelly — Podcast Producer
a. New York-based (LinkedIn)
5. Maria Donovan — Director of Talk Programming
a. New York-based (LinkedIn)
6. Gurnal Scott — National Correspondent
a. New York-based (LinkedIn)
7. John Sylvester Jr. — Senior Vice President Fox News Media Audio
a. Jersey City, NJ-based (LinkedIn)
8. Tonya Williams — Podcast Producer
a. Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based (LinkedIn)
Gray Television — 118th Congress
*1 of 24 credentialed (should) raise red RTCA flags
Jillian Angeline — Public affairs, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Left Gray DC bureau in 2021; left journalism May 2024 (LinkedIn)
Lilly Broadcasting — 118th Congress
*1 of 2 credentialed left journalism in 2021 to become Comms Director for Rep. Mike Kelly & mouthpiece of panel investigating assassination attempts on President Trump
Matthew Knoedler — press secretary, Rep. Mike Kelly
Left journalism in 2021; RTCA credentialed him 2023-2024
Current: Communications Director, Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump (Majority Staff) | Chairman Mike Kelly (R-PA)
“National Public Radio” — NPR — 118th Congress
*2 of 94 credentialed appear to live outside of DC, per RTCA bylaws
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
Tom Dreisbach — no DC address
Los Angeles-based Investigative Correspondent (LinkedIn)
Chloee Weiner — no DC address
New York-based (LinkedIn)
NBC News — 118th Congress
*15 of 265 credentials appear to run afoul of RTCA Constitution
1. Heidi Przybyla — left NBC in 2022; RTCA credentialed her in 2023-24
a. September 2022: POLITICO announced she joined its permanent staff (LinkedIn)
2. Lauren Egan — left NBC 2022; credentialed by RTCA 2023-2024
a. December 2022: Went to Politico; February 2025: Started with The Bulwark (LinkedIn)
3. Kasie Hunt — not NBC staff during the 118th Congress
a. Signed with CNN in July 2021 (Deadline)
4. Brendan Gaffney — now a law student, not active NBC staff during 2023-2024 (LinkedIn)
a. LinkedIn shows NBC production-assistant and desk-assistant roles ending in July 2021
5. Caroline Vakil — Campaign reporter, The Hill
a. Left NBC in 2021; not NBC staff during 118th Congress (LinkedIn)
6. Geoffrey Bennett — PBS NewsHour anchor since January 2023
a. Named PBS Newshour chief Washington Correspondent in Jan. 2023 (Wiki)
7. Lawrence Bartley — Publisher, The Marshall Project Inside
a. Contributor to NBC, CNN & PBS (Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed)
8. Rachel Maddow — no record of DC address; owns homes in NYC & in Massachusetts
b. In 2021, MSNBC lawyers defeated defamation suit by arguing Maddow’s a commentator
9. Richard Hudock — not a journalist; Senior VP of Communications, MSNBC / MS NOW
a. New York-based; left Washington 2018 (LinkedIn)
NBC — not based in DC, per RTCA rules
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
10. Kailani Koenig-Muenster — no DC address
a. Left DC in 2018; Chicago-based (LinkedI)
11. Fallon Gallagher — left DC in 2021
New York-based Producer, NBC Nightly New (LinkedIn)
12. Ellison Barber — no DC address
a Brooklyn, New York-based (LinkedIn)
13. Savannah Guthrie — hasn’t lived in DC since 2011
a. Owns $11.35 million townhouse in Brooklyn Heights, NY (Women.com)
14. Lester Holt — no DC address; New York-based
a. Previous: Chicago and Los Angeles (National Association of Broadcasters)
15. Brett Holey — no DC address
Greater New York City-based Senior Director (LinkedIn)
Newsmax TV — 118th Congress
*4 of 11 credentials flagged for RTCA review
1. Stephanie Cassidy — left Newsmax April 2023; RTCA credentialed 2023-24
a. Current: Talent Agency owner (2023-Present)
b. VP of Booking, Casting and Talent (2019-2023)
c. Left DC in 2019; Mount Laurel, NJ (LinkedIn)
Newsmax — not based in DC, per RTCA rules
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
2. Gary Kanofsky — no record he’s ever lived in DC
New York-based Senior VP of News and Operations (LinkedIn)
3. Christopher Knowles — no record he’s ever lived in DC
New York-based Vice President of Programming (LinkedIn)
4. Haley Gillman — no record she’s ever lived in DC
New York-based Vice President of Booking (LinkedIn)
One America News (OAN) — 118th Congress
*6 of 22 credentialed seem to run afoul of RTCA bylaws
1. Christina Bobb — RNC, head of election integrity program (2024)
Left OAN in 2022, but RTCA still issued OAN credential for 118th Congress
Activism while credentialed
Personal nonprofit spent $600,000 to influence 2020 election (New Republic)
Author: ‘Stealing Your Vote: The Inside Story of the 2020 Election and What It Means for 2024’
Named RNC/DJT attorney March 2024; RTCA member list due April 25, 2024
2. Caitlin Sinclair — credentialed RTCA while TPUSA spokeswoman (2024)
a. Left OAN Dec. 2023; social media manager MAGA INC. Super-PAC (April-Aug. 2024)
c. Spokeswoman Turning Point USA (May 2024 - Dec. 2024) (LinkedIn)
3. Jennifer Pellegrino — America First Policy Institute; left OAN 2021 (LinkedIn)
Credentialed OAN by RTCA 2023 - 2024, while a Newsmax anchor (2021-24)
2024 advocacy:
America First Policy Institute, Media Affairs & Chief Spokesperson
Appears to have been credentialed by RTCA during this period
2025 advocacy:
Defend Forgotten America, President & CEO
Unclear if her RTCA credential was extended in 119th Congress
4. John Posobiec — Turning Point USA (TPUSA)
a. Left OAN May 2021; credentialed by RTCA for the 118th Congress (2023-2024)
5. Girish Gaur — “...considers himself ‘kind of an activist’ rather than a reporter”
a. Told New York Post he’s an activist, not a reporter (NY Post)
b. Not a DC resident: “...the New York resident,” according to NY Post
6. Charles Herring — President of OAN; Herring Networks HQ in San Diego (LinkedIn)
b. Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
7. Chanel Rion — activist (not included in tally because current White House anchor)
Personal nonprofit spent $600,000 to influence 2020 election (New Republic)
Scripps News — 118th Congress
*6 of 49 credentialed appear outside RTCA residency requirements
1. Ellen Rolfes — left Scripps in 2021; RTCA credentialed in 2023-2024
a. Marketplace employee from Jan. 2022 - May 2025 (LinkedIn)
Scripps — not based in DC, per RTCA rules
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
2. Matthew Anzur — no record of DC address
a. Golden, Colorado based (Scripps)
3. Carrie Cochran — left DC in 2022; RTCA credentialed for 2023-2024
a. Cincinnati, Ohio-based since 2022 (LinkedIn)
4. Alexandra Miller — non-DC Resident
a. New York City-based (LinkedIn)
5. Maira Nolasco-Carranza — non-DC Resident (Queens, NYC)
a. “Transitioning from Washington, DC bureau to New York City as a senior producer” (2021 Scripps press release)
6. Megan Liz Smith — non-DC Resident
a. Brooklyn, NYC-based (LinkedIn)
Spectrum News — 118th Congress
*2 of 29 credentialed don’t appear to meet RTCA residency requirement
Could be Associate Member; not clearly listed as such, though
Benjamin Gordon — no record of DC address; Maplewood, NJ-based (LinkedIn)
Graphic Systems Engineer out of Chelsea Market NY1 facility
Zoe Slemmons — no public record of DC address
New York-based Producer (LinkedIn)
Corrections and tips welcomed!