CNN, MS NOW And Politico Sue Over White House Press Ban

CNN, MS NOW and Politico have filed a lawsuit seeking to restore their journalists’ access to the White House grounds, days after President Donald Trump revoked their access, turning to the courts in a dispute over constitutional protections for the press.

 

The news outlets described the ban as a “direct assault” on the First Amendment and “a blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles”, according to a complaint filed on Monday in federal court in Washington.

 

“President Trump has said in no uncertain terms that he would prefer only to be covered by news organisations and reporters who praise his administration,” the outlets said. “But the Constitution does not allow a president or any other government official to deprive the press of their First Amendment rights and liberty and property interests with no notice or process based solely on his dislike of the content of their reporting.”

 

CNN, MS NOW and Politico are seeking a court order that would immediately reinstate their access to the White House while their lawsuit proceeds.

 

US District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee, scheduled a hearing on the request for Wednesday. Kelly presided over a similar case in 2018, when CNN filed suit after the White House revoked the credentials of correspondent Jim Acosta. Kelly ordered Acosta’s access restored.

 

Trump cited that ruling in a social media post on Monday, criticising Kelly and noting that the judge was “sadly, appointed by ‘TRUMP’”. The president said, “we’ll go for an appeal” if Kelly rules against him.

 

Trump’s ban marked a significant escalation in the administration’s efforts to restrict press access to events and spaces that are in the public interest. Federal courts have previously overturned similar moves against reporters working at the White House campus. The First Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits the government from making laws that abridge freedom of speech and of the press.

 

All three news outlets said their journalists were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday, a day after Trump announced the ban.

 

The move had an immediate impact on coverage of the president. CNN had been due to be the broadcaster travelling with Trump to New York on Monday ahead of the UN General Assembly but was removed from that roster.

 

CNBC reported on Monday that the White House television pool would not cover events during Trump’s trip to New York. CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins shared on social media an email she said was from Bryan Boughton, the current television pool chair. The email said that “effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President”. It cited the White House decision to prevent CNN from fulfilling its pool duties and said there “will be no replacement pool put in place”.

 

“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organisation because it objects to its reporting,” ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and NBC News, members of the White House television pool, said in a joint statement on Monday.

 

Trump, who for years has dismissed critical coverage of his administration and policies as “fake news”, defended his move on social media on Monday.

 

“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” Trump said. “It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America,” he added, claiming that such coverage is “a threat to our National Security”.

 

The White House on Monday indicated that it would provide coverage of the president’s activities on its own website, with what it called “Trump TV: The Essentials Station”.

 

“Watch the Trump Administration’s biggest moments all in one place. Top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights streaming 24/7 and updated in real time,” said a note on the White House page for streaming videos. The page said the service would launch at 7 p.m. Washington time.

 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, when asked about the ban during a CNBC interview, said he did not know much about the decision but went on to criticise the press and its coverage.

 

“We’ll see, maybe it’s a change in coverage at the White House,” he said.

 

The Treasury Department excluded journalists from several outlets, including Bloomberg News, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, from covering the recent Group of 20 finance ministers’ summit. The Defence Department separately barred mainstream media organisations last year from maintaining offices in the Pentagon after they refused to accept new limits on their activities.

 

Trump announced in a social media post on Friday that he was revoking access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico “effective immediately” because of what he described as unfavourable coverage of his administration. He warned that “other Fake News Media Outlets” could also soon be banned.

 

“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” Trump said in the post.

 

In their lawsuit, the outlets argued that Trump’s ban violated the First Amendment by unlawfully retaliating against them because he framed it as a direct response to their coverage of his administration. They said the ban “brazenly discriminates based on editorial viewpoint”.

 

The news outlets also alleged that the president violated their right to due process under the Fifth Amendment because he failed to provide clear standards for his decision and did not give them an opportunity to contest the ban before it was implemented.

 

The move comes at a politically challenging time for the president, with his approval ratings at record lows and polls showing broad voter discontent with his economic agenda, particularly over high living costs and the Iran war. The conflict, now in its seventh month, has driven up global energy prices, further weighing on US households.

 

Last year, the Associated Press sued Trump administration officials after it was excluded by the White House from events, even though its reporters were still allowed to work from the grounds. The case is still being litigated.

 

The case is Cable News Network Inc. v. Trump, 26-cv-3287, US District Court for the District of Columbia.