US judge temporarily restores White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore White House press access to reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, finding that their credentials were revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued the temporary order Thursday morning, allowing the reporters to regain access for 14 days while their lawsuit against the administration continues.
The White House revoked the reporters' credentials on Sept. 18 after President Donald Trump accused their news organizations of publishing “fake” coverage of his administration.
According to CNN, Kelly found that the reporters were not given adequate notice or an opportunity to challenge the decision before their credentials were revoked.
Justice Department lawyers argued that the reporters' work had posed a threat to national security. Kelly said the government's arguments provided little support for its stated national security concerns.
The judge also noted that explanations provided after the lawsuit was filed referred both to reporting that allegedly threatened national security and to reporting the administration considered false, leaving unclear which rationale was behind the decision.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued Trump and three senior administration officials after their reporters lost access to the White House.
ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC later backed CNN and declined to replace its camera crew in the White House television pool. The networks said no administration should restrict a news organization because it disagrees with its reporting.
Trump has denied that the move amounted to an attack on press freedom, saying his administration was targeting what he called “fake news.”