CNN, MS NOW, Politico file lawsuit against Trump administration over denied White House access
The three major news outlets that were denied access to the White House have notified the Trump administration that they’re filing a lawsuit.
CNN, MS NOW, Politico say they’ve notified Trump administration they’re filing a lawsuit over denied White House access.
News of the move comes just days after reporters from from the two cable networks - Betsy Klein of CNN and Akayla Gardner of MS NOW - both went live on Saturday, local time, to report they’d been barred following a ban imposed by President Donald Trump.
The pair said they’d been turned away, their press badges deactivated, when arriving for their jobs at the White House. Soon after, Politico said its White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also denied entry and had her badge confiscated.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The actions escalated Trump’s long-running efforts to restrict news coverage by journalists he finds objectionable.
Trump said Friday he would ban both organizations and also Politico, because of their coverage — which he called “fake news.”
However, all three news outlets had hinted at legal action, saying they would vigorously defend their First Amendment rights.
“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,” the outlets said in a joint statement posted on X. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
In his second term, Trump and his Republican administration have upped the ante and punished certain media outlets, both in the courtroom and through regulatory action.
Trump has also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms — insulting them in briefings or in his recent speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
The WHCA’s president, Jacqui Heinrich, called on the Trump administration to immediately restore the three outlets’ access.
“The implications extend beyond these organizations: a standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future,” Heinrich said.
“The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favourably.”
with AAP
