(Exclusive.) Covering the White House is a plum assignment for most D.C. journalists. It’s an even bigger deal for reporters from around the world, one that can propel them to the forefront of a national audience back home. 

Take, for example, African journalist Hariana Veras, who, in a visit to the Oval Office in June, told Donald Trump that the President of Congo wanted to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Trump responded by calling Veras “beautiful.” The clip was shared widely around the world, clocking up more than half a million views.

Veras is also the Ethics Committee Chair of the White House Foreign Media Group. “WHFMG is composed of foreign correspondents from leading international media outlets and represents journalists from all continents who report daily to their audiences on both the domestic and foreign policy of the President of the United States,” the group states on its website. 

While sounding well established, the group didn’t exist at all until just a few months ago.  WHFMG was created by Italian journalist Daniele Compatangelo after being rejected multiple times for membership to the White House Foreign Press Group (WHFPG). 

Well-established, the WHFPG has a rigorous vetting process to ensure prospective members work for legitimate media outlets and are employed in a position covering news from the White House. 

According to people familiar with the matter, Compatangelo, who works for Italian TV station LA7, was turned away after claiming he had “interviewed” President Joe Biden on the anniversary of January 6th.

“Due to his coverage, Italian news show Mezz'Ora in Più il Mondo che Verrà on Italian television RAI, offered him to cover the White House and the US Parliament, where a year later, on January 6, 2022, he became the first and only Italian journalist to briefly ask a question the 46th President of the United States Joe Biden, on the anniversary,” Compatangelo’s Wikipedia profile claims. 

The real story behind the briefly asked question, which led to the creation of WHFMG, reads like the screenplay of a Federico Fellini film. 

In his application to the WHFPG, Compatangelo supplied a copy of the interview in which he had dubbed over the voice of a female journalist who asked Biden the question at the Capitol riots anniversary, according to the people familiar with the matter. 

"The journalist claims he asked a question to Joe Biden,” a note attached to Compatangelo’s Wikipedia states. “However, in the original video, we can see that the question was actually asked by a woman. It appears that Compatangelo simply edited the audio and dubbed his own voice over it.” Compatangelo blamed the WHFPG for “discrediting” him on his Wikipedia page.

Not one to take sides, Breaker invites you to watch the original video and compare it to the video submitted to WHFPG. A quick run through Google Translate suggests the questions were also not identical. 

“That’s not a fake interview,”  Compatangelo told Breaker, explaining that, as it occurred during COVID, journalists were socially distanced and wearing masks, and his question wasn’t picked up on the pool mic, so he dubbed himself. “This is customary,” Compatangelo said. “You redub yourself and use it on TV.” 

Failing to understand the problem and yet determined to succeed, Compatangelo went about setting up his own rival foreign press club, changing out the word “Media” for “Press” and in the process confusing many people. 

Naturally, Compatangelo then appointed himself President and recruited dozens of journalists, including some Americans who work for foreign outlets, promising them…