White House restores access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists after court order
The reinstatement followed a federal judge’s 14-day order halting President Donald Trump’s ban and a morning in which reporters said they were still denied entry.
Washington, United States. The White House said Thursday it had reinstated journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after a federal judge ordered their access restored. The judge found that the revocation of their credentials likely violated their constitutional due process rights.
Reporters initially remained barred
US District Judge Tim Kelly issued the order overnight in a press freedom lawsuit the three news organizations filed Monday. He halted President Donald Trump’s ban for 14 days, but hours after the ruling, the organizations told the court that their journalists were still being denied access.
Politico said a reporter’s credentials had been confiscated. An MS NOW reporter said she was blocked from the White House, while CNN said some staff members were denied entry to the grounds. The organizations requested an immediate hearing.
In a court filing, White House press operations director Micah Stopperich said the process of reinstating affected reporters’ badges began at 7:25 a.m. and that the press team left badges at the entry gate for collection around 9:55 a.m. The White House said the journalists had been reinstated by midday. After receiving Stopperich’s declaration, Kelly denied the request for an emergency hearing but allowed the organizations to report further developments later Thursday.
Judge questions justification for ban
Kelly, whom Trump appointed in 2017 during his first presidential term, also questioned the Justice Department’s national security arguments for the ban. He noted that Trump had attributed the action to coverage the president alleged was false or negative.
The dispute, the sharpest yet between Trump and the press, unfolded during a key diplomatic period that included his appearance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York and his hosting of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
It remained unclear whether members of the White House television press pool would resume pooled coverage following CNN’s return. They had suspended it earlier in the week in solidarity with CNN.
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →