CNN, MS NOW and Politico Sue Trump Administration After White House Ban
CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a federal lawsuit Monday challenging President Trump’s decision to bar their journalists from the White House, arguing that the restrictions violate their First Amendment rights.
The three news organizations filed the 27-page lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., after their reporters were denied entry to White House grounds over the weekend. Their previously valid credentials were disabled and confiscated following Trump’s announcement Friday that the organizations would no longer be permitted access.
The lawsuit names President Trump, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Secret Service Director Sean Curran as defendants. The organizations are seeking immediate restoration of their journalists’ access while the broader constitutional challenge moves through the courts.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico argue that the administration retaliated against them because President Trump disapproved of their coverage. They contend that excluding particular organizations based on their reporting amounts to viewpoint discrimination prohibited by the First Amendment.
President Trump announced the ban Friday after repeatedly accusing the three organizations of publishing inaccurate and unfair stories about his administration. He has defended the decision by saying he supports a free press but does not believe the White House should be required to accommodate organizations he considers purveyors of “fake news.”
The White House has taken the position that access to the presidential complex is a privilege rather than an unrestricted right. The administration has rejected accusations that the decision represents a broader attack on press freedom and maintains that the dispute concerns the conduct and coverage of the specific organizations involved.
The dispute escalated further when the major television networks responsible for providing pooled video coverage of presidential events announced they would stop distributing that footage. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC participated in the move following the restrictions placed on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
The lawsuit also alleges violations of the Fifth Amendment, arguing that the reporters lost their credentials without adequate notice or an opportunity to challenge the decision. The organizations say the restrictions prevent their journalists from performing the same White House reporting duties available to other credentialed news outlets.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Trump during his first term. The organizations are asking the court for emergency relief that would restore their White House access while the lawsuit proceeds.
The legal battle is the latest confrontation between President Trump and national news organizations over access to his administration. The court will now have to consider whether the White House has the authority to exclude the three organizations under these circumstances or whether the restrictions amount to unconstitutional retaliation based on their journalism.