In a court filing on Friday, the White House again argued that its move last month to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from its grounds was squarely within the bounds of presidential authority and asked a federal judge to deny a motion from the media outlets for a court order extending their access. Throughout U.S. history, the government’s filing contended, presidents “have long decided which journalists should receive privileged access, which has varied substantially from administration to administration.”
The court battle began after President Trump announced on Sept. 18 that he would bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from entering the White House grounds. The media organizations quickly sued to regain their access, and a federal court issued a two-week order requiring the White House to restore their press passes. That order expires on Thursday, and this week the three news outlets asked the court for a longer reprieve. The government’s latest filing aligns with the Trump administration’s legal arguments in other access battles with the media.
“The mere denial of special access is not an adverse action that would objectively chill” reporting on the White House, the filing said. The media outlets have said the ban violated their First Amendment rights because Mr. Trump made it clear that he had instituted it because he objected to their reporting. The White House’s filing on Friday said the administration would have “taken the same action anyway,” without regard to the outlets’ criticism of Mr. Trump.
Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court in Washington, who issued the temporary order, has indicated that he will rule “expeditiously” on the media outlets’ request.
Source: New York Times Business · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing