DOJ defends White House media ban in a late Tuesday response to a lawsuit from CNN, MS Now and Politico, telling a federal court the outlets’ reporting on topics from White House construction to U.S. military readiness spread falsehoods and risked national security.
In its filing, the Department of Justice asked the court to deny the media organizations’ request to immediately restore their access to the White House grounds. The case, set for an emergency hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday afternoon, is poised to further test press protections under the Trump administration, according to the filing.
DOJ defends White House media ban as lawful
The DOJ submission included White House letters dated Sept. 22 accusing the three outlets of “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues” and of publishing sensitive or classified material. The Justice Department said President Trump revoked access because he concluded the outlets failed to meet “basic minimum standards of professionalism and decorum” and had published restricted information. “Access to the White House is a privilege, not a right,” the filing asserted.
The administration’s letters to CNN and MS Now cited stories ranging from details about an East Wing bunker project to reporting on reported U.S. ammunition stockpile depletion during the Iran war. A separate letter challenged Politico’s coverage of the administration’s move to lift sanctions on Russia and criticized its description of the Republicans’ midterm convention in Dallas as “a disaster.”
Media outlets sue over constitutional violations
CNN, MS Now and Politico sued on Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleging violations of their First Amendment rights by punishing news coverage, and their Fifth Amendment due-process rights by revoking access without notice or a meaningful avenue to appeal. The letters formalizing the allegations were dated four days after access was cut off, and the White House set a Friday deadline for the outlets to submit written challenges to the ban.
Broader pattern of press restrictions
The three-outlet ban marks the latest clash between Trump and the press. During his first term, the administration pulled press credentials from CNN correspondent Jim Acosta.
The White House also denied the Associated Press access to the Oval Office and Air Force One in a dispute over the naming of the Gulf of Mexico, a matter that remains in litigation.
On Friday, Trump told reporters the decision to block CNN, MS Now and Politico did not stem from a single story but from what he described as two years of unfair, negative coverage.
