One of US President Donald Trump's closest advisors has told media the reduced number of televised media briefings is thanks to White House press secretary Sean Spicer's weight gain.
Many of the White House press corps have become frustrated with the White House's communications department in recent times, complaining that the Trump administration is starving them of information.
In reaction to the gradual change, Atlantic reporter Rosie Gray texted Trump advisor Steve Bannon, asking why daily briefings with Mr Spicer had become shorter, less frequent and increasingly off-camera.
His response? "Sean got fatter."
The reply, while likely delivered tongue-in-cheek, has been circulated widely after appearing in Ms Gray's story - and now the daughter of President Trump's campaign rival, Chelsea Clinton, has weighed in on it.
"The White House using fat shaming to justify increased opacity. 2017," she wrote on Twitter, clearly taking issue with using Mr Spicer's weight as a way to side-step the question.
In a follow-up tweet, which was in reply to a tweet referring to Mr Bannon's remark as "a joke", she again reiterated her point.
"Oh ok. So using fat shaming to avoid answering questions about increasing opacity. Got it. 2017."
It must be said that Mr Bannon is hardly trim himself - and clearly has more body fat than Mr Spicer, who has been the face of a series of high-profile controversies and gaffes since President Trump came into office.
Most notably, he passionately defended the President's comments on the crowd size at his inauguration, and incorrectly claimed Nazi leader Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons during World War II.
His most recent press briefing on Tuesday is thought to have been his last, with Sarah Huckabee Sanders tipped to be replacing him as White House press secretary.
Newshub.
