US court hears media lawsuit over Trump ban — CNBC
In Washington, DC, a federal district court began hearing by teleconference a lawsuit by MS NOW, CNN and Politico over President Donald Trump’s ban on these media outlets’ access to the White House. The news organizations are asking the court to block further restrictions on their journalists’ access to the White House, CNBC reports.
Consideration of the lawsuit
The case is being heard by US District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington, who could issue a ruling at any moment. The three media outlets jointly filed the lawsuit on Monday.
The ban took effect on Saturday. When journalists from these newsrooms arrived at the White House, the US Secret Service took away their passes granting access to the complex.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Administration’s arguments
In a court filing late Tuesday evening, the US Department of Justice said that the president had barred the three media outlets from access for national security reasons and had the legal right to do so. When Trump announced the ban last Friday, he did not cite national security concerns as the basis for the decision.
Instead, the president accused the newsrooms of publishing a series of reports that, he said, contained so-called fake news about him and his administration. In 2018, Kelly ruled against the White House and ordered the return of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass, which had been revoked after an argument with Trump.
