CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue Trump administration over White House access ban

New York: CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday after their journalists were barred from covering the White House, arguing that the selective exclusion violates their First Amendment rights.

The lawsuit came after the administration announced the restrictions Friday and the White House took further action over the weekend, including disabling the reporters’ entry badges. The news organisations said the move amounted to an attempt to restrict coverage based on the administration’s objections to their reporting.

The three outlets had earlier announced in a joint statement that they would take legal action, saying the government had revoked their journalists’ credentials without notice or due process.

“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the outlets said in a joint statement posted early Monday on X.

“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting," they said. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference.”

The Associated Press reviewed a copy of the complaint before it was formally filed.

In the lawsuit, the three organisations described the exclusion as “a blatant violation” of the First Amendment and argued that the administration had barred them from covering the White House because Trump objected to their reporting.

“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 complaint said.

The outlets said they were being prevented from doing their jobs “for one simple reason: (Trump) dislikes the content of the coverage of him and his administration.”

The complaint also said: “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."

“ 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.”

The case was assigned to US District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was nominated by Trump during his first term.

Reporters denied entry

The White House restrictions became apparent Saturday when reporters from the two cable networks arrived for their assignments and were denied entry.

CNN reporter Betsy Klein and MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner said in live reports that their press badges had been deactivated. Politico later said its White House correspondent Cheyenne Haslett had also been denied entry and had her badge confiscated.

The three organisations continued covering the White House actions from outside the complex. On Monday morning, reporters from the two television networks were reporting from an intersection near the White House.

CNN was also removed from its pool duties on Monday. The network had been scheduled to cover Trump's trip to New York. The television pool, which is shared by the five major networks, said in an email that there would be no replacement coverage following the White House's decision.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

Trump, however, addressed the dispute in a post on Truth Social, saying he “cherished” a free press while accusing some media organisations of publishing what he called false reporting.

“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” the president said in his post. “It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!”

First Amendment dispute

The case raises the issue of what is legally known as “viewpoint discrimination”, in which government action allegedly singles out particular speakers or media organisations because of the content or viewpoint of their speech.

The principle has emerged in several legal disputes involving the Trump administration's treatment of news organisations.

The White House Correspondents' Association also called for the three outlets to have their access restored.

“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,” WHCA president Jacqui 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 favorably.”

The latest dispute follows Trump's decision last year to bar Associated Press reporters from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other presidential events after the news organisation declined to adopt his preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico. The AP said it would refer to the body of water as the “Gulf of America” when appropriate while noting Trump's directive.

The AP subsequently sued, and that case remains ongoing.

Since returning to office, Trump has also pursued legal action against other media organisations, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC. His administration is separately involved in a continuing dispute with ABC over the renewal of its broadcast licences.