President Will ‘Answer Questions When He’s Ready,’ Fitzwater Says

Presidential spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said Friday that he had made an “arbitrary” decision to prevent reporters from asking questions of President Reagan at White House photo sessions and said Reagan will “answer questions when he’s ready.”

The White House decision to end what has become virtually the only opportunity for reporters to question the President occurred as Reagan continues one of the longest periods of isolation from the press of his presidency.

In the last eight months--since last June--he has held only three nationally televised news conferences and given few interviews to the news media. He has held no sessions with reporters since the Iran- contras scandal broke on Nov. 25.

Fitzwater refused Friday to allow reporters and photographers to record Reagan’s meeting with a group of welfare experts. Instead, the White House issued its own photograph of the meeting.

At first, Fitzwater said reporters’ access to Reagan had been restricted because of his recent prostate surgery. “He’ll answer questions when he’s ready and when the doctors say there are no restrictions on his activities,” he said. But Fitzwater then said the doctors had not put any restrictions on Reagan’s answering reporters’ questions.

“It’s our decision on the coverage of these events,” he said.