CNN, MS NOW and Politico Sue Over White House Ban as Pool Walks Out

CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued the Trump administration on Monday over the White House’s decision to bar their reporters, a fight that has already prompted the four other broadcast members of the White House television pool to suspend their coverage of the president. A federal judge is expected to consider the outlets’ request for a temporary restraining order on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera and CBS News.

President Trump announced the ban on Friday, Sept. 18, accusing the three outlets of repeatedly publishing “fake news” about his administration, and it took effect Saturday, when journalists were denied entry and had their credentials revoked, Al Jazeera reported. The White House has said the First Amendment protects the right to publish but does not guarantee access to the White House, the briefing room or the press pool, the outlet said.

The suit, filed in federal district court in Washington, names Mr. Trump, chief of staff Susie Wiles, communications director Steven Cheung and Secret Service Director Sean Curran as defendants, CBS News reported. The outlets call the ban a “direct assault on the First Amendment,” argue that they received no advance notice or chance to respond, and say the standard for denying access is “arbitrary and vague.” The case is before U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Mr. Trump appointed in his first term, CBS News said.

The administration’s defense came Tuesday. In a filing, the Justice Department argued that access to the White House is “a privilege, not a right,” and that the restriction complies with the First Amendment because the government has two compelling reasons: enforcing minimum professionalism standards and protecting classified information, CBS News reported. Publishing sensitive or classified national security information, the department said, is a significant violation of decorum, and journalists should call for comment before publishing. CBS News also reported that White House letters accused the outlets of “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods.”

Senior officials defended the move in public. Vice President JD Vance said on Monday, “We’re not going to give you special access to the White House if you engage in what is effectively far-left propaganda,” calling it a matter of “basic fairness,” according to Al Jazeera. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an NBC interview on Tuesday that the administration has restricted the outlets’ access to the White House workspace, not their ability to operate: “We’re not closing CNN.” Mr. Trump said Tuesday he would “probably” let the journalists back if the court rules against him, Al Jazeera reported.

The dispute spilled into the president’s travel. CNN was scheduled to join Mr. Trump’s Monday trip to New York for the U.N. General Assembly but was removed from the pool because of the ban, and CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and Fox News then suspended the TV pool altogether in solidarity, CBS News reported. The Associated Press, Reuters, Getty Images, Agence France-Presse, The New York Times and The Washington Post temporarily withheld photos of the president’s events Monday, The National Desk reported. With no pool camera or microphone present, the president’s remarks at a White House helipad event were hard to hear, it said.

Later Monday the White House launched “Trump TV,” a 24-hour streaming channel on YouTube and its website, Al Jazeera and The National Desk reported. Newsmax’s Biana de la Garza said the ban “could be backfiring just a little bit,” The National Desk reported. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he told Mr. Trump he wanted all members of the press at a Gracie Mansion event, according to Al Jazeera.