Three major US news organizations – CNN, Politico and MS NOW – have sued President Donald Trump’s administration after being barred from the White House grounds, accusing the White House of violating First Amendment press freedoms.
The joint lawsuit was filed on Monday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, two days after reporters from the three outlets had their entry badges disabled and were turned away from the White House.
The White House revoked the credentials “without notice or process” because it objected to their reporting, the outlets said in a joint statement.
“This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles,” the complaint says.
The suit argues the ban violates First Amendment protections against government punishment for speech, and due process rights under the Fifth Amendment. It names as defendants President Trump, White House communications aide Steven Cheung, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Secret Service Director Sean Curran.
The outlets said they notified the government Monday morning that they were filing suit “to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”
“Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” they said.
The ban was announced by Trump on Friday in a post on Truth Social, where he said the three outlets would be barred for publishing what he called “FICTION and LIES” and “fake news.”
On Saturday, reporters said they were blocked from entering the complex, had credentials confiscated and were unable to access workspaces. CNN and MS NOW said they were also blocked from using television equipment and camera positions on the grounds.
On Monday morning, reporters from the banned networks were reporting from an intersection outside the White House. CNN was also removed from its shared TV pool duties. It had been scheduled to cover the president’s trip to New York.
The five major broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC – said in a joint statement Monday that they had suspended TV pool coverage in response.
“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” the statement said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, but pointed to a post by Trump on Truth Social on Monday morning.
“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” Trump wrote. “It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!”
The case is being led by prominent First Amendment lawyer Theodore J. Boutrous of Gibson Dunn, who previously won a ruling that a White House executive order cutting federal funding to NPR was unconstitutional.
The administration’s action marks an escalation in Trump’s long-running conflict with news organizations over coverage he finds objectionable, and comes amid a series of legal tests of press access. Trump said when announcing the ban that he might add other outlets to the list.
An emergency hearing could be held as early as this week.
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