CNN, MS NOW and Politico have sued US President Donald Trump and members of his administration over their exclusion from the White House, arguing that the ban violates their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and the press.
The three news organisations filed the lawsuit on Monday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking a temporary restraining order to block the administration’s decision and restore their journalists’ access to the White House.
The legal action followed Trump’s decision to bar the outlets from the White House grounds and revoke the press credentials of their journalists. Reporters from the three organisations were turned away when they attempted to enter the complex on Saturday.
In a joint statement, the organisations said their credentials were revoked without notice or due process because the White House objected to their reporting. They argued that allowing the decision to stand would threaten press freedom and the public’s access to independent journalism.
Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the affected media organisations of publishing what he described as “fiction and lies” about him, his administration and the United States. He later defended the decision, saying the media posed a national security threat, although he did not provide evidence for the claim.
The dispute has also affected the White House television pool, a rotating arrangement under which major US networks share responsibility for providing video coverage of the president.
CNN had been scheduled to serve as the pool network on Monday and cover Trump’s activities, including his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Following CNN’s exclusion, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News suspended the pool coverage for the day rather than replace CNN.
The White House has not immediately responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit.
The case is now before a federal court, where the three organisations are asking judges to determine whether the administration can exclude journalists from White House access because of objections to their reporting. Emergency proceedings could take place as early as this week.
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