WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued President Donald Trump and members of his administration Monday after the White House barred their journalists from the grounds and revoked their press credentials.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, argues that the administration violated the outlets’ First Amendment rights and denied them due process under the Fifth Amendment. The organizations asked the court for a temporary restraining order restoring their access.
The complaint names Trump, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, communications director Steven Cheung and Secret Service Director Sean Curran as defendants. The outlets argue that the administration targeted them because Trump objected to their coverage.
Trump announced the ban Friday, accusing CNN, MS NOW and Politico of reporting “fiction and lies.” On Monday, he defended the decision and said the White House was targeting what he called “fake news,” which he described as a national security threat. He did not provide evidence for that claim.
On Saturday, officials denied White House access to CNN reporter Betsy Klein, MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner and Politico reporter Cheyenne Haslett. The journalists said officials disabled or confiscated their credentials.
The dispute also disrupted the White House television pool. CNN had been scheduled to provide pooled coverage of Trump’s trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. After the White House prevented CNN from carrying out that assignment, ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC suspended the television pool rather than replace CNN.
The case follows earlier disputes over White House press access. In 2018, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the administration to temporarily restore CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s credential after finding due process concerns. A federal court also ordered the White House to restore journalist Brian Karem’s pass in 2019.
The current case has also been assigned to Kelly. A separate case involving the Associated Press remains pending after the Trump administration restricted the wire service’s access to limited-capacity presidential events over its decision to continue using the name Gulf of Mexico. An appeals court previously allowed the White House to maintain control over access to those restricted spaces while that case proceeds.
