White House blocks reporters from covering Naomi Biden wedding: 'Deeply disappointed'
Naomi Biden is eldest granddaughter of President Biden and daughter of Hunter Biden
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The White House Correspondents' Association has been barred from covering the wedding of Naomi Biden.
Naomi Biden, eldest granddaughter of President Biden, is marrying fiancé Peter Neal at the White House on Saturday. Breaking with tradition, the White House has kiboshed coverage of the event by a pool of reporters.
BIDEN GRANDDAUGHTER NAOMI BIDEN TO HOLD WEDDING ON WHITE HOUSE SOUTH LAWN
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Guests arrive on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, for the wedding of Naomi Biden, 28, granddaughter of President Biden, and Peter Neal, 25, on Nov. 19, 2022. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
"White House weddings have been covered by the press throughout history and the first family's wish for privacy must be balanced against the public's interest in an event occurring at the People's House with the President as a participant," the White House Correspondents' Association said in a statement Saturday.
The correspondents association said it attempted to negotiate access for a small circle of approved journalists to attend the event but were denied.
BIDEN'S SOUTH LAWN WEDDING IS ONE WHITE HOUSE TRADITION ALL CAN CELEBRATE
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Naomi Biden and fiancé Peter Neal at the Paramount White House Correspondents' Dinner after party at the French Ambassador's residence, in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2022. (Photo by Mary Kouw/CBS via Getty Images) (Mary Kouw/CBS via Getty Images)
"The WHCA advocated for allowing a small pool of journalists to cover some portion of the wedding. Our request for coverage was declined and we are deeply disappointed that the White House has chosen to keep this event fully closed to the press," the statement continued.
The ceremony is being held on the White House's South Lawn. The event is expected to have intense security measures to keep public snooping at bay.
While uncommon, wedding ceremonies at the White House are not unheard of. There have been a total of 18 such weddings in U.S. history, with the first taking place in 1812 and the most recent in 2013 between official White House photographer Pete Souza and his wife, Patti Lease, according to the White House Historical Association.
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President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, grandaugher Naomi Biden and fiance Peter Neal walk to the White House from Marine One on June 20, 2022, in Washington. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
Naomi Biden, 28, is an attorney in the Washington area and maintains a large presence in the president's personal life.
She is the daughter of Hunter Biden and Kathleen Buhle — her parents divorced in 2017.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The wedding is the first time a member of the first family has been married at the White House since Tricia Nixon, the daughter of President Richard Nixon, in 1971.
Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.