CNN, MS NOW and Politico Regain White House Access After Court Blocks Trump Media Ban

CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters regained access to the White House on Thursday after a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s decision to bar the three news organizations from the White House. The ruling came after a chaotic morning during which some reporters were initially denied entry despite the court order.

According to The New York Times, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order early Thursday, directing the administration to immediately return and reinstate the press credentials of employees of CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

Judge Kelly said the news organizations were likely to succeed in their argument that the administration had violated their constitutional due-process rights by revoking their press credentials without advance notice or an opportunity to respond. He also rejected, for the time being, the administration’s argument that the restrictions were necessary for national security.

The White House later told the court that its operations team had been instructed at 7:10 a.m. to restore access and that confiscated press passes were made available at 9:55 a.m. However, reporters from the affected organizations said they continued to face difficulties entering the White House grounds well into the late morning.

Lawyers for the three outlets subsequently requested an emergency hearing, arguing that the administration was not complying with the judge’s order. CNN and MS NOW later confirmed that their correspondents had been allowed back onto the White House grounds, and Politico reporters also regained access.

The dispute also disrupted the White House television press pool. Major U.S. television networks had suspended pool coverage after the administration barred CNN, with the networks seeking assurances that CNN would again be permitted to participate. As a result, there was no live television coverage from the major U.S. networks of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

The Associated Press said it planned to provide video coverage of Trump’s military review and his dinner with Xi, but no U.S. network pool coverage was expected because of the continuing access dispute.

Meanwhile, two conservative media organizations, Real America’s Voice and LindellTV, moved to establish an alternative television pool after major networks suspended their regular coverage. LindellTV was founded by Mike Lindell, a prominent supporter of Trump.

Judge Kelly has set deadlines over the next two weeks for the government and the news organizations to file motions concerning a preliminary injunction. Such an injunction could extend the restrictions on the administration beyond the 14-day temporary order.

Trump had previously indicated that his administration would appeal an unfavorable ruling. The legal dispute therefore remains unresolved, with the next stage expected to focus on whether the White House can maintain its restrictions on the three news organizations.

Source: The New York Times.