Three liberal news outlets are preparing to sue after their reporters were turned away from the White House under a new ban imposed by President Donald Trump.
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico announced Monday that they would file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after the president said reporters from those outlets would not be allowed inside the White House. The lawsuit will allege that the Trump administration is violating their First Amendment rights. Trump has defended the ban as necessary to protect national security and crack down on “fake news.”
“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the news outlets said on Monday. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
The lawsuit will be filed in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Trump first announced Friday that reporters from the outlets would not be welcome into the White House for pushing “fake news.” Over the weekend, reporters from those outlets started being turned away from the White House as their press badges were deactivated.
On Monday, Trump said his decision to kick the outlets out of the White House was based on national security concerns.
“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. 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,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trump suggested Friday that other outlets may soon be kicked out of the White House as well.
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The ban is not the first time Trump has attempted to cut off access for liberal outlets.
During his first term, the White House pulled the credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta, and a federal judge ordered them restored after CNN sued. This year, the administration’s restrictions on the Associated Press remain in litigation, with an appeals court letting some limits stay in place for now.
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