CNN, MS NOW and Politico are suing the Trump administration after their journalists were denied entry to the White House.
In a joint statement early Monday, the outlets said they were filing the suit to “protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”
“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,” the joint statement said. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
Representatives for CNN, MS NOW and Politico said their reporters were denied entry to the White House grounds early Saturday. President Trump said Friday he was banning reporters from the White House while criticizing their coverage of his administration. He said he intended to bar other outlets from entry in the future.
“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,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment Monday.
On Sunday, journalists from CNN were also removed from a planned assignment representing a rotating pool of broadcasters at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. CNN was scheduled to travel to the U.N. with the president Monday, but a scheduling email from the White House on Sunday night didn’t list a primary TV pool representative. The Wall Street Journal reviewed a copy of the email.
The president’s actions mark a further escalation in his clashes with the news media and efforts to limit press access to his administration.
Trump has sued several news organizations—including the Journal—for defamation, barred Associated Press reporters from the Oval Office and subpoenaed journalists. His administration has also tightened media access at the Pentagon, which last year introduced new rules restricting reporters’ ability to gather information. Several major news organizations rejected the policy and surrendered their Pentagon press credentials rather than comply.
The lawsuit names Trump as a defendant alongside White House communications director Steven Cheung , Chief of Staff Susan Wiles and Secret Service Director Sean Curran .
CNN, MS NOW and Politico plan to jointly ask a judge to temporarily block the administration from enforcing the ban and order the White House to reinstate their reporters’ permanent, or “hard pass,” credentials.
Write to Gareth Vipers at gareth.vipers@wsj.com
