White House Defends Trump’s Ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico in Court Filing

The White House has defended its ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, stating that access to the White House is a privilege, not a right. According to The New York Times, President Trump determined that these outlets were in violation of the standards of professionalism and decorum expected at the White House.

In a court filing, the Trump administration claimed that the ban was not retaliatory, despite the outlets' criticism of the President. They argued that the President would have taken the same action regardless of the outlets' speech, and that other outlets that have criticized the President have not had their access revoked. The administration also stated that the outlets had received adequate notice and an opportunity to contest the President's factual findings.

The court filing was made in response to a lawsuit filed by CNN, Politico, and MS NOW, which are seeking to block the ban and restore their access to the White House. A hearing is scheduled to take place, with the outlets arguing that the ban is unconstitutional. The Japan Times noted that US courts have long held that the government cannot condition press access on favorable coverage once it has opened a space to the media.

Brief written by urgent.news from The New York Times, TheWrap, Japan Times — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.