CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration after they were barred from covering the White House over the weekend, saying the selective ban was “a blatant violation” of the First Amendment.
In their lawsuit, the news outlets said 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.”
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The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump nominated during his first term in the White House.
The three outlets filed the joint lawsuit two days after their reporters were blocked from the White House and prevented from doing their jobs. The reporters' entry badges were disabled on Saturday, a day after Trump had suddenly announced he was barring the outlets because of reporting he found to be “fake news.”
The president addressed the bans on Monday, repeating his claims that the affected outlets published 'fake news.' He did not offer any evidence to support that allegation.
"You would think that an outlet would write at least reasonably well, but never," the president said. "I think that these outlets have an obligation to be fair. And if they're fake news, I really think I have an obligation not to allow them into another very special house."
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On Monday morning, the banned TV networks were reporting from an intersection just outside the White House complex. Also on Monday, CNN was removed from its pool duties, which are shared by the major networks. It had been scheduled to cover the president's trip to New York. In an email, the TV pool, which consists of the five major networks, wrote that there would be no replacement coverage following the White House actions.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. But on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote Monday morning that he “cherished” what he called a free press.
“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!”
