CNN, MS NOW, and Politico Sue Trump Administration Over White House Press Ban
Three major media agencies are suing the White House over being banned from covering the presidency. Meanwhile, several other news organizations are joining the fight to protect their First Amendment rights. Here is the latest on this brewing controversy between the Trump administration and the nation's news agencies.
News Agencies File Lawsuit Against White House Over Press Ban
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday after President Donald Trump banned the three organizations from reporting from the White House. The reporters working for these agencies had their press badges taken away over the weekend following the Friday announcement of the ban.
Lawyers for the three outlets wrote that “This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles." The legal team went on to say that Trump acted "expressly for the improper purpose of retaliating against Plaintiffs for past news coverage because he deemed it ‘negative’ and chilling future reporting about him and his administration’s policies and actions. President Trump has said in no uncertain terms that he would prefer only to be covered by news organizations and reporters who praise his administration."
The plaintiffs' lawyers asked a federal judge in Washington, D.C. to issue a temporary restraining order that would effectively allow the journalists to return to the White House while the case makes its way through the court system. The motion stated that the White House decision "poses a substantial threat to the freedom of the press not just for Plaintiffs, but for all journalists, and harms the public for whom they act as surrogates in reporting on matters of urgent public concern about the government."
President Trump sees the case differently, posting on Truth Social on Monday morning that the banned journalists are a “Cancer in our beloved United States of America” and a “threat to our National Security” that “must be stopped.” The president also alleged that the White House is not banning the "Free Press," noting that the assault is only on "FAKE NEWS." He went on to say that the so-called "fake news" is "corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!"
Trump initially announced the ban late last week on Truth Social, noting that it was effective immediately. Later that same day, Trump defended his decision while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, saying that "there’s something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories.” Trump said that it is fine if they want to write the stories, but that he does not "have to let them into my — into ‘the People’s House.’ ”
Major Television Networks Show Support to Plaintiffs
In a rare act of solidarity within the media, the nation's major television networks announced on Monday that the White House TV press pool will temporarily cease operations in support of their colleagues. ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and Fox News are the five major networks that make up the White House TV pool responsible for sharing live coverage of the presidency. These networks take turns providing the coverage to other news agencies across the country and the world.
In a statement released on Monday, the group said, “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.” According to Politico, Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton wrote an email to subscribers on Monday stating that “Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President." Boughton, who also serves as the chair of the TV pool, wrote, “This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place."
CNN had been scheduled to serve the TV pool on Monday as the President gets ready to attend the United Nations (UN) General Assembly beginning on Tuesday in New York City. Trump met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday ahead of the UN meetings. The president is then scheduled to host China’s President Xi Jinping at the White House on Thursday. It remains uncertain what type of TV coverage of these events will be available without the help of the formal White House TV pool.
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico issued a joint statement on Monday confirming that they have notified the government that they are filing the lawsuit to "protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes."
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